PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11913143-B2
Application Number: US-202016809445-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Fabric with electrical components

Abstract:
Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric and to create a gap in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with the conductive strands during interlacing operations. A soldering tool may be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands to expose conductive segments on the conductive strands. The soldering tool may be used to solder the conductive segments to the electrical component. The solder connections may be located in grooves in the electrical component. An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material in the grooves to encapsulate the solder connections. After the electrical component is electrically connected to the conductive strands, the insertion tool may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Equipment for forming fabric having at least one conductive strand, the equipment comprising:
 interlacing equipment that interlaces first strands and second strands to create a formed fabric; 
 control circuitry that controls the interlacing equipment to create a gap between first and second portions of the formed fabric; and 
 an insertion tool that:
 aligns an electrical component with the at least one conductive strand; and 
 moves into the gap to position the electrical component in the gap after the electrical component is electrically coupled to the at least one conductive strand, wherein the control circuitry controls the interlacing equipment to continue interlacing the first strands and second strands after the insertion tool positions the electrical component in the gap. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The equipment defined in  claim 1  wherein the formed fabric comprises a woven fabric, wherein the interlacing equipment comprises weaving equipment that weaves the first strands and the second strands to form the woven fabric, and wherein the electrical component is hidden from view when the electrical component is positioned in the gap. 
     
     
       3. The equipment defined in  claim 2  wherein the first strands include first warp strands, wherein the second strands include second warp strands, and wherein the weaving equipment comprises:
 warp strand positioning equipment that positions the first warp strands and the second warp strands to create a shed; and 
 weft strand positioning equipment that inserts a weft strand into the shed. 
 
     
     
       4. The equipment defined in  claim 3  further comprising a spreading tool that spreads apart some of the first warp strands to create an opening in the shed. 
     
     
       5. The equipment defined in  claim 4  wherein the electrical component is electrically coupled to the at least one conductive strand via a solder connection, the equipment further comprising a soldering tool that accesses the electrical component through the opening to create the solder connection between the electrical component and the at least one conductive strand. 
     
     
       6. The equipment defined in  claim 5  wherein the at least one conductive strand has an insulating coating and wherein the soldering tool applies heat to remove the insulating coating from a segment of the at least one conductive strand. 
     
     
       7. The equipment defined in  claim 5  further comprising an encapsulation tool that accesses the electrical component through the opening to encapsulate the solder connection. 
     
     
       8. The equipment defined in  claim 5  wherein the insertion tool positions and releases the electrical component in the gap after the soldering tool creates the solder connection, the equipment further comprising:
 a component retention tool that retains the electrical component in the gap after the insertion tool releases the electrical component in the gap. 
 
     
     
       9. The equipment defined in  claim 8  wherein the control circuitry controls the interlacing equipment to continue interlacing to close the gap and wherein the component retention tool is removed from the fabric after the gap is closed. 
     
     
       10. The equipment defined in  claim 5  wherein the electrical component has a groove and the solder connection is located in the groove. 
     
     
       11. The equipment defined in  claim 3  further comprising a hold-down bar that rests on the formed fabric, wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust a height of at least a portion of the hold-down bar relative to the formed fabric to accommodate the electrical component. 
     
     
       12. The equipment defined in  claim 11  wherein the hold-down bar has individually controlled portions that can be independently adjusted to different heights. 
     
     
       13. The equipment defined in  claim 3  further comprising a reed through which the first warp strands and second warp strands pass, wherein the reed moves toward and away from the formed fabric, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to momentarily pause motion of the reed while the insertion tool positions the electrical component in the gap. 
     
     
       14. The equipment defined in  claim 1  further comprising take-down equipment with multiple independently-controlled rollers.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/815,923, filed Mar. 8, 2019, and provisional patent application No. 62/872,659, filed Jul. 10, 2019, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This relates generally to items with fabric and, more particularly, to items with fabric and electrical components. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It may be desirable to form bags, furniture, clothing, and other items from materials such as fabric. Fabric items generally do not include electrical components. It may be desirable, however, to incorporate electrical components into fabric to provide a user of a fabric item with enhanced functionality. 
     It can be challenging to incorporate electrical components into fabric. Fabric is flexible, so it can be difficult to mount structures to fabric. Electrical components must be coupled to signal paths (e.g., signal paths that carry data signals, power, etc.), but unless care is taken, signal paths may be damaged, or components may become dislodged as fabric is bent and stretched. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved techniques for incorporating electrical components into items with fabric. 
     SUMMARY 
     Interlacing equipment (e.g., weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, etc.) may be provided with individually adjustable components. The use of individually adjustable components may allow electrical components to be inserted into and/or embedded in the fabric during the creation or formation of the fabric. 
     The interlacing equipment may create a gap between first and second fabric portions during interlacing operations. The gap may be a void between fabric portions or the gap may be a position or location between fabric portions. An insertion tool may insert an electrical component into the gap, and the electrical component may be electrically coupled to conductive strands in the gap. Interlacing operations may be uninterrupted during the insertion process, if desired. Following insertion and attachment of the electrical component, interlacing operations may continue and the electrical component may be enclosed in the fabric. In some arrangements, the gap between the first and second fabric portions may remain in place after the electrical component is enclosed in the fabric. In other arrangements, the first and second fabric portions may be pulled together such that the gap is eliminated after the electrical component is enclosed in the gap. The fabric may have a bulge where the electrical component is located, or the fabric may not have a bulge where the electrical component is located (e.g., the fabric may have substantially uniform thickness across locations with electrical components and locations without electrical components, if desired). 
     In an illustrative example, the interlacing equipment may include weaving equipment. Weaving equipment may include warp strand positioning equipment that positions warp strands and weft strand positioning equipment that inserts weft strands among the warp strands to form fabric. The fabric may include insulating strands and conductive strands. The conductive strands may be coupled to electrical components. 
     During formation of the fabric (e.g., during interlacing operations or while one or more interlacing components are repositioned or temporarily paused), strand processing operations and component insertion operations may take place. An insulation removal tool may remove insulation from conductive strands. Warp strand positioning equipment may position the conductive strands away from the other warp strands during insulation removal operations. The insulation removal tool may include a laser that ablates an outer insulating coating to expose a conductive core on each conductive strand. 
     Following insulation removal, interlacing may continue and a pocket (e.g., a void) may be formed in the fabric. The conductive strands may pass through the pocket. When it is desired to insert an electrical component, warp strand positioning equipment may be used to create a shed adjacent to the conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to insert an electrical component into the shed. The insertion tool may align the conductive strands with grooves in the electrical component and may slide the electrical component along the conductive strands into the pocket until the grooves overlap the exposed conductive cores of the conductive strands. 
     While the insertion tool holds the electrical component in the pocket, a heating tool such as an inductive heating tool, hot air, or laser may be used to reflow solder between the electrical component and the conductive strands. If desired, heat may also be applied to melt an encapsulant material such as thermoplastic. The encapsulant material may cover the conductive strands and fill in the grooves to help encapsulate the solder connections. Following heating operations, weaving may continue and the pocket may be closed. 
     In some arrangements, certain processing operations may occur before the component is inserted into the fabric pocket. For example, insulation removal operations, electrical connection operations (e.g., soldering), encapsulation operations, and/or other processing operations may occur before the component is inserted into the fabric pocket. With this type of arrangement, the insertion tool may align the component with conductive strands that are initially located outside of the pocket. A spreading tool may spread apart warp strands to create an opening in an upper and/or lower portion of the shed. The opening in the shed may provide line-of-sight access to the component and may also provide physical access for processing equipment to reach the component. For example, an electrical connection tool such as a solder head may access the component through the shed opening to electrically connect the component to the conductive strands (e.g., by heating solder that has been previously applied to the component, by dispensing and heating solder on the component, by applying a conductive adhesive on the component, etc.). If desired, the heat from the solder head may also be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands at the time of soldering. An encapsulation tool may access the component through the shed opening to dispense an encapsulant around the electrical connection. If desired, other processing operations such as electrical connection verification operations may be performed before the component is inserted into the pocket. When the desired processing operations are complete, the insertion tool may insert and release the component along with the attached conductive strands, into the pocket. A component retention tool may, if desired, be used to hold the component in the pocket as the insertion tool is removed. Interlacing operations may continue, the pocket may be closed, and the component retention tool may be removed. 
     In addition to or instead of performing processing operations out-of-pocket, processing operations may be performed after the component is inserted into the pocket. For example, the component may have electrical contacts on a side portion of the component that is exposed along an open side of the pocket before the pocket is closed. A hot bar may be used to reflow solder on the electrical contacts of the component while the side of the component is exposed along the open side of the pocket. In other arrangements, a fabric opener may be used to create an opening in the fabric to provide access to the component in the pocket. The fabric opener may be used to open an already formed portion of the fabric or the fabric opener may be put in place while strands are interlaced around it, thereby creating an opening. When the desired processing operations are completed and access to the component is no longer needed, the opening may be closed. If desired, an endoscope or other optical sensing device may be used to obtain visual access of the component in the pocket. If desired, the endoscope may be a laser endoscope that produces laser light (e.g., for ablating insulation, melting solder, melting thermoplastic or other encapsulant, etc.). 
     The control circuitry may independently control the warp strand positioning equipment, the weft strand positioning equipment, the component insertion equipment, the reed, the take-down equipment, the warp tensioning equipment, the hold-down bar, the insulation removal equipment, and the heating equipment. As a result, these devices will not necessarily be simultaneously moving in synchronization but rather may be individually repositioned, and/or restarted as desired to accommodate component insertion operations and other operations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of an illustrative fabric item in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a side view of illustrative fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a side view of layers of material that may be incorporated into a fabric item in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a diagram illustrating how interlacing equipment may be used to create fabric while an insertion tool is used to insert electrical components into the fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component having an electrical device mounted on an interposer in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component having a protective structure in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component having recesses for receiving strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a bottom view of an illustrative electrical component having contact pads that span the length of width of the electrical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a bottom view of an illustrative electrical component having contact pads that span less than the full width of the electrical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective view of illustrative equipment that may be used to form fabric with electrical components in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional side view of illustrative fabric with an electrical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  13    is a diagram of an illustrative knitting system in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  14    is a front view of an illustrative weft knit fabric having conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  15    is a front view of an illustrative warp knit fabric having conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  16    is a perspective view of an illustrative electrical component being inserted from below onto a conductive strand in a knit fabric during formation of the fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  17    is a perspective view of an illustrative insertion tool that may be used to insert electrical components into fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  18    is a perspective view of an illustrative electrical component being inserted from above onto a conductive strand in a knit fabric during formation of the fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  19    is a perspective view of an illustrative electrical component being inserted onto a conductive strand in a braided fabric during formation of the fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  20    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative strand showing how insulation may be selectively removed to expose a conductive core in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  21    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative strand from which insulation has been removed in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  22    is a top view of illustrative strands having portions from which insulation has been removed to expose conductive segments in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  23    is a perspective view of an illustrative insertion tool that may be used to insert electrical components into fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  24    is a perspective view of an illustrative insertion tool being used to align an electrical component with conductive strands during fabric formation in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  25    is a perspective view of an illustrative insertion tool being used to insert an electrical component into a fabric pocket and a heating tool being used to solder the electrical component to conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  26    is a cross-sectional side view of an electrical component being held in a fabric pocket by an insertion tool while a heating tool is used to melt solder and an encapsulant material in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  27    is a cross-sectional side view of an electrical component that has been soldered to conductive strands in a fabric pocket in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  28    is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in using equipment to incorporate electrical components into fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  29    is a side view showing how an insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with conductive strands before the electrical component is inserted into a fabric pocket in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  30    is a top view of illustrative fabric showing how a spreading tool may be used to create a shed opening for providing access to an electrical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  31    is a side view showing how equipment such as soldering and encapsulation equipment may access an electrical component through a shed opening held open by a spreading tool in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  32    is a side view showing how an insertion tool may insert an electrical component into a fabric pocket and how a retention tool may hold the electrical component in the fabric pocket while the insertion tool is removed in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  33    is a side view showing how a retention tool may hold an electrical component in a fabric pocket while interlacing operations continue in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  34    is a side view of an illustrative electrical component that has been electrically coupled to conductive strands and inserted into a fabric pocket using equipment and processing operations of the type shown in  FIGS.  29 - 33    in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  35    is a perspective view of illustrative equipment that may be used to electrically couple an electrical component to conductive strands in a pocket by accessing the electrical component along an open side of the pocket during interlacing operations in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  36    is a top view of illustrative equipment that may be used to create a temporary opening in a fabric to provide access to an electrical component in the fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  37    is a cross-sectional side view of illustrative equipment that may be used to temporarily hold a portion of a fabric open during interlacing operations to provide access to an electrical component in the fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  38    is a side view showing how an insertion tool may insert an electrical component into a fabric pocket while an endoscopic laser is used to view the electrical component and to use laser light to solder the electrical component to conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices, enclosures, and other items may be formed from fabric such as woven fabric. The woven fabric may include strands of insulating and conductive material. Conductive strands may form signal paths through the fabric and may be coupled to electrical components such as light-emitting diodes and other light-emitting devices, integrated circuits, sensors, haptic output devices, and other circuitry. 
     Interlacing equipment (sometimes referred to as intertwining equipment) may include weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, or any other suitable equipment used for crossing, looping, overlapping, or otherwise coupling strands of material together to form a network of strands (e.g., fabric). Interlacing equipment may be provided with individually adjustable components such as warp strand positioning equipment (e.g., heddles or other warp strand positioning equipment), weft strand positioning equipment, a reed, take-down equipment, let off equipment (e.g., devices for individually dispensing and tensioning warp strands), needle beds, feeders, guide bars, strand processing and component insertion equipment, and other components for forming fabric items. The individual adjustability of these components may allow interlacing operations (e.g., weaving operations, knitting operations, braiding operations, and/or other interlacing operations) to be performed without requiring continuous lock-step synchronization of each of these devices, thereby allowing fabric with desired properties to be woven. As an example, normal reed movement and other weaving operations may be periodically suspended and/or may periodically be out-of-sync with other components to accommodate component insertion operations whereby electrical components (sometimes referred to as nodes or smart nodes) are inserted into the fabric during the creation or formation of the fabric. 
     Items such as item  10  of  FIG.  1    may include fabric and may sometimes be referred to as a fabric item or fabric-based item. Item  10  may be an electronic device or an accessory for an electronic device such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, a pendant device, a headphone or earpiece device, a device embedded in eyeglasses or other equipment worn on a user&#39;s head, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a navigation device, an embedded system such as a system in which fabric item  10  is mounted in a kiosk, in an automobile, airplane, or other vehicle (e.g., an autonomous or non-autonomous vehicle), other electronic equipment, or equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices. If desired, item  10  may be a removable external case for electronic equipment, may be a strap, may be a wrist band or head band, may be a removable cover for a device, may be a case or bag that has straps or that has other structures to receive and carry electronic equipment and other items, may be a necklace or arm band, may be a wallet, sleeve, pocket, or other structure into which electronic equipment or other items may be inserted, may be part of a chair, sofa, or other seating (e.g., cushions or other seating structures), may be part of an item of clothing or other wearable item (e.g., a hat, belt, wrist band, headband, etc.), or may be any other suitable item that incorporates fabric. 
     Item  10  may include interlaced strands of material such as monofilaments and yarns that form fabric  12 . As used herein, “interlaced” strands of material and “intertwined” strands of material may both refer to strands of material that are crossed with one another, looped with one another, overlapping one another, or otherwise coupled together (e.g., as part of a network of strands that make up a fabric). Fabric  12  may form all or part of a housing wall or other layer in an electronic device, may form internal structures in an electronic device, or may form other fabric-based structures. Item  10  may be soft (e.g., item  10  may have a fabric surface that yields to a light touch), may have a rigid feel (e.g., the surface of item  10  may be formed from a stiff fabric), may be coarse, may be smooth, may have ribs or other patterned textures, and/or may be formed as part of a device that has portions formed from non-fabric structures of plastic, metal, glass, crystalline materials, ceramics, or other materials. 
     The strands of material used in forming fabric  12  may be single-filament strands (sometimes referred to as fibers) or may be threads, yarns, or other strands that have been formed by interlacing multiple filaments of material together. Strands may be formed from polymer, metal, glass, graphite, ceramic, natural materials such as cotton or bamboo, or other organic and/or inorganic materials and combinations of these materials. Conductive coatings such as metal coatings may be formed on non-conductive strands (e.g., plastic cores) to make them conductive. Reflective coatings such as metal coatings may be applied to strands to make them reflective. Strands may also be formed from single-filament metal wire (e.g., bare metal wire), multifilament wire, or combinations of different materials. Strands may be insulating or conductive. 
     Strands in fabric  12  may be conductive along their entire lengths or may have conductive portions. Strands may have metal portions that are selectively exposed by locally removing insulation (e.g., to form connections with other conductive strand portions and/or to form connections with electrical components). Strands may also be formed by selectively adding a conductive layer to a portion of a non-conductive strand). Threads and other multifilament yarns that have been formed from interlaced filaments may contain mixtures of conductive strands and insulating strands (e.g., metal strands or metal coated strands with or without exterior insulating layers may be used in combination with solid plastic strands or natural strands that are insulating). In some arrangements, which may sometimes be described herein as an example, fabric  12  may be a woven fabric and the strands that make up fabric  12  may include warp strands and weft strands. 
     Conductive strands and insulating strands may be woven, knit, or otherwise interlaced to form conductive paths. The conductive paths may be used in forming signal paths (e.g., signal buses, power lines for carrying power, etc.), may be used in forming part of a capacitive touch sensor electrode, a resistive touch sensor electrode, or other input-output device, or may be used in forming other patterned conductive structures. Conductive structures in fabric  12  may be used in carrying electrical current such as power, digital signals, analog signals, sensor signals, control signals, data, input signals, output signals, or other suitable electrical signals. 
     Item  10  may include additional mechanical structures  14  such as polymer binder to hold strands in fabric  12  together, support structures such as frame members, housing structures (e.g., an electronic device housing), and other mechanical structures. 
     To enhance mechanical robustness and electrical conductivity at strand-to-strand connections and/or strand-to-component connections, additional structures and materials (e.g., solder, crimped metal connections, welds, conductive adhesive such as anisotropic conductive film and other conductive adhesive, non-conductive adhesive, fasteners, etc.) may be used in fabric  12 . Strand-to-strand connections may be formed where strands cross each other perpendicularly or at other strand intersections where connections are desired. Insulating material can be interposed between intersecting conductive yarns at locations in which it is not desired to form a strand-to-strand connection. The insulating material may be plastic or other dielectric, may include an insulating strand or a conductive strand with an insulating coating or insulated conductive monofilaments, etc. Solder connections may be formed between conductive strands and/or between conductive strands and electrical components by melting solder so that the solder flows over conductive strands. The solder may be melted using an inductive soldering head to heat the solder, using hot air to heat the solder, using a reflow oven to heat the solder, using a laser or hot bar to heat the solder, or using other soldering equipment. In some arrangements, outer dielectric coating layers (e.g., outer polymer layers) may be melted away in the presence of molten solder, thereby allowing underlying metal yarns to be soldered together. In other arrangements, outer dielectric coating layers may be removed prior to soldering (e.g., using laser ablation equipment or other coating removal equipment). 
     Circuitry  16  may be included in item  10 . Circuitry  16  may include electrical components that are coupled to fabric  12 , electrical components that are housed within an enclosure formed by fabric  12 , electrical components that are attached to fabric  12  using welds, solder joints, adhesive bonds (e.g., conductive adhesive bonds such as anisotropic conductive adhesive bonds or other conductive adhesive bonds), crimped connections, or other electrical and/or mechanical bonds. Circuitry  16  may include metal structures for carrying current, electrical components such as integrated circuits, light-emitting diodes, sensors, and other electrical devices. Control circuitry in circuitry  16  may be used to control the operation of item  10  and/or to support communications with item  18  and/or other devices. 
     Item  10  may interact with electronic equipment or other additional items  18 . Items  18  may be attached to item  10  or item  10  and item  18  may be separate items that are configured to operate with each other (e.g., when one item is a case and the other is a device that fits within the case, etc.). Circuitry  16  may include antennas and other structures for supporting wireless communications with item  18 . Item  18  may also interact with item  10  using a wired communications link or other connection that allows information to be exchanged. 
     In some situations, item  18  may be an electronic device such as a cellular telephone, computer, or other portable electronic device and item  10  may form a cover, case, bag, or other structure that receives the electronic device in a pocket, an interior cavity, or other portion of item  10 . In other situations, item  18  may be a wrist-watch device or other electronic device and item  10  may be a strap or other fabric item that is attached to item  18  (e.g., item  10  and item  18  may together form a fabric-based item such as a wristwatch with a strap). In still other situations, item  10  may be an electronic device, fabric  12  may be used in forming the electronic device, and additional items  18  may include accessories or other devices that interact with item  10 . Signal paths formed from conductive yarns and monofilaments may be used to route signals in item  10  and/or item(s)  18 . 
     The fabric that makes up item  10  may be formed from yarns and/or monofilaments that are interlaced using any suitable interlacing equipment. With one suitable arrangement, which may sometimes be described herein as an example, fabric  12  may be woven fabric formed using a weaving machine. In this type of illustrative configuration, fabric may have a plain weave, a basket weave, a satin weave, a twill weave, or variations of these weaves, may be a three-dimensional woven fabric, or may be other suitable fabric. This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, fabric  12  may include knit fabric, warp knit fabric, weft knit fabric, braided fabric, other suitable type of fabric, and/or a combination of any two or more of these types of fabric. 
     A cross-sectional side view of illustrative woven fabric  12  is shown in  FIG.  2   . As shown in  FIG.  2   , fabric  12  may include strands  80 . Strands  80  may include warp strands  20  and weft strands  22 . If desired, additional strands that are neither warp nor weft strands may be incorporated into fabric  12 . The example of  FIG.  2    is merely illustrative. In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  2   , fabric  12  has a single layer of woven strands  80 . Multi-layer fabric constructions may be used for fabric  12  if desired. 
     Item  10  may include non-fabric materials (e.g., structures formed from plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, crystalline materials such as sapphire, etc.). These materials may be formed using molding operations, extrusion, machining, laser processing, and other fabrication techniques. In some configurations, some or all of item  10  may include one or more layers of material such as layers  24  of  FIG.  3   . Layers  24  may include layers of polymer, metal, glass, fabric, adhesive, crystalline materials, ceramic, substrates on which components have been mounted, patterned layers of material, layers of material containing patterned metal traces, thin-film devices such as transistors, and/or other layers. 
     A diagram illustrating how electrical components may be inserted into fabric  12  during the formation of fabric  12  is illustrated in  FIG.  4   . As shown in  FIG.  4   , fabric  12  may be formed from fabric portions such as fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2 . Fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be formed from interlaced strands  80 . For example, a first set of strands  80  may be used to form fabric portion  12 - 1  and a second set of strands  80  may be used to form fabric portion  12 - 2 . Fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be different portions of a single layer of fabric  12 , or fabric portion  12 - 1  may form a first layer of fabric  12  and fabric portion  12 - 2  may form a second layer of fabric  12 . 
     Using interlacing equipment  120 , strands  80  may be interlaced to form fabric  12 . Interlacing equipment  120  may be weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, or other suitable interlacing equipment. Interlacing equipment  120  may be used to create one or more regions in fabric  12  such as pocket  66  (sometimes referred to as a gap, space, cavity, void, position, location, etc.) for receiving electrical components. Regions in fabric  12  that receive electrical components such as pocket  66  may be formed by creating a space or gap between portions of fabric  12  such as fabric portion  12 - 1  and fabric portion  12 - 2 . The term “pocket” may be used to refer to a void between fabric portions and/or may be used to refer to a position or location between fabric portions (e.g., a position between strands of material in fabric  12 ). 
     Electrical components may be inserted into pocket  66  during the formation of fabric  12  using component insertion equipment such as insertion tool  54 . Insertion tool  54  may hold component  26  and may position component  26  in pocket  66  during interlacing operations (e.g., by moving component  26  towards pocket  66  in direction  140 ). If desired, component  26  may be electrically and mechanically connected to one or more conductive strands  80 C in pocket  66 . Following insertion and attachment of component  26 , interlacing equipment  120  may continue interlacing operations (which may include closing pocket  66 , if desired) to continue forming fabric  12 . 
     In some arrangements, processing steps such as alignment of component  26  with conductive strands  80 C, electrically connecting (e.g., soldering) component  26  to conductive strands  80 C, encapsulation of the electrical connection between component  26  and conductive strands  80 C, and/or verification of the integrity of the electrical connection between component  26  and conductive strands  80 C may be performed after component  26  is inserted into pocket  66 . An illustrative example of in-pocket soldering, for instance, is shown in  FIG.  25    (described later). In other arrangements, one or more of these processing steps may be performed before component  26  is inserted into pocket  66  for easier access to component  26 .  FIG.  31    (also described later) shows an illustrative example of out-of-pocket soldering. 
     In some arrangements, the gap between first and second fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may remain in place after electrical component  26  is enclosed in fabric  12  (e.g., a space may exist between fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  after formation of fabric  12  is complete). In other arrangements, first and second fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be pulled together such that gap  66  is eliminated after electrical component  26  is enclosed in the gap (e.g., fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be in contact with one another without an intervening gap after the formation of fabric  12  is complete). Fabric  12  may have a bulge where electrical component  26  is located, or fabric  12  may not have a bulge where electrical component  26  is located (e.g., the fabric may have substantially uniform thickness across locations with electrical components  26  and locations without electrical components  26 , if desired). 
     A side view of an illustrative electrical component of the type that may be used in item  10  is shown in  FIG.  5   . Electrical components in item  10  such as illustrative electrical component  26  of  FIG.  5    may include discrete electrical components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors, may include connectors, may include batteries, may include input-output devices such as switches, buttons, light-emitting components such as light-emitting diodes, audio components such as microphones and speakers, vibrators (e.g., piezoelectric actuators that can vibrate), solenoids, electromechanical actuators, motors, and other electromechanical devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) devices, pressure sensors, light detectors, proximity sensors (light-based proximity sensors, capacitive proximity sensors, etc.), force sensors (e.g., piezoelectric force sensors), strain gauges, moisture sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, magnetic sensors (e.g., Hall effect sensors and magnetoresistance sensors such as giant magnetoresistance sensors), touch sensors, and other sensors, components that form displays, touch sensors arrays (e.g., arrays of capacitive touch sensor electrodes to form a touch sensor that detects touch events in two dimensions), and other input-output devices, electrical components that form control circuitry such as non-volatile and volatile memory, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits, system-on-chip devices, baseband processors, wired and wireless communications circuitry, and other integrated circuits. 
     Electrical components such as component  26  may be bare semiconductor dies (e.g., laser dies, light-emitting diode dies, integrated circuits, etc.) or packaged components (e.g. semiconductor dies or other devices packaged within plastic packages, ceramic packages, or other packaging structures). One or more electrical terminals such as contact pads  30  may be formed on body  28  of component  26 . Body  28  may be a semiconductor die (e.g., a laser die, light-emitting diode die, integrated circuit, etc.) or may be a package for a component (e.g., a plastic package or other dielectric package that contains one or more semiconductor dies or other electrical devices). Contacts for body  28  such as pads  30  may be protruding leads, may be planar contacts, may be formed in an array, may be formed on any suitable surfaces of body  28 , or may be any other suitable contacts for forming electrical connections to component  26 . For example, pads  30  may be metal solder pads. 
     As shown in the example of  FIG.  6   , body  28  may be mounted on a support structure such as interposer  36 . Interposer  36  may be a printed circuit, ceramic carrier, or other dielectric substrate. Interposer  36  may be larger than body  28  or may have other suitable sizes. Interposer  36  may have a planar shape with a thickness of 700 microns, more than 500 microns, less than 500 microns, or other suitable thickness. The thickness of body  28  may be 500 microns, more than 300 microns, less than 1000 microns, or other suitable thickness. The footprint (area viewed from above) of body  28  and interposer  36  may be 10 microns×10 microns, 100 microns×100 microns, more than 1 mm×1 mm, less than 10 mm×10 mm, may be rectangular, may be square, may have L-shapes, or may have other suitable shapes and sizes. 
     Interposer  36  may contain signal paths such as metal traces  38 . Metal traces  38  may have portions forming contacts such as pads  34  and  40 . Pads  34  and  40  may be formed on the upper surface of interposer  36 , on the lower surface of interposer  36 , or on the sides of interposer  36 . Conductive material such as conductive material  32  may be used in mounting body  28  to interposer  36 . Conductive material  32  may be solder (e.g., low temperature or high temperature solder), may be conductive adhesive (isotropic conductive adhesive or anisotropic conductive film), may be formed during welding, or may be other conductive material for coupling electrical device pads (body pads) such as pads  30  on body  28  to interposer pads  34 . Metal traces  38  in interposer  36  may couple pads  34  to other pads such as pads  40 . If desired, pads  40  may be larger and/or more widely spaced than pads  34 , thereby facilitating attachment of interposer  36  to conductive yarns and/or other conductive paths in item  10 . Solder, conductive adhesive, or other conductive connections may be used in coupling pads  40  to conductive yarn, conductive monofilament, printed circuit traces, or other conductive path materials in item  10 . 
       FIG.  7    shows an example in which component  26  includes a protective structure such as protective structure  130  on interposer  36 . Protective structure  130  may, for example, be a plastic structure that completely or partially encapsulates devices  28  and interposer  36  to provide mechanical robustness, protection from moisture and other environmental contaminants, heat sinking, and/or electrical insulation. Protective structure  130  may be formed from molded plastic (e.g., injection-molded plastic, transfer molded plastic, low-pressure molded plastic, two-part molded plastic, etc.) that has been molded over devices  28  and interposer  36  or that is pre-formed into the desired shape and subsequently attached to interposer  36 , may be a layer of encapsulant material (e.g., thermoplastic) that has been melted to encapsulate devices  28 , may be a layer of polymer such as polyimide that has been cut or machined into the desired shape and subsequently attached to interposer  36 , or may be formed using other suitable methods. Illustrative materials that may be used to form protective structure  130  include epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials. Protective structure  130  may be formed on one or both sides of interposer  36  (e.g., may completely or partially surround interposer  36 ). 
     Protective structure  130  may be entirely opaque, may be entirely transparent, or may have both opaque and transparent regions. Transparent portions of protective structure  130  may allow light emitted from one or more devices  28  to be transmitted through protective structure  130  and/or may allow external light to reach (and be detected by) one or more devices  28 . Protective structure  130  may, if desired, have different thicknesses. The example of  FIG.  7    in which protective structure  130  has uniform thickness across interposer  36  is merely illustrative. In some arrangements, protective structure  130  may be an encapsulant material such as thermoplastic that has been melted to create a robust connection between component  26  and strands  80  of fabric  12 . For example, protective structure  130  may surround portions of strands  80 , may fill recesses, grooves, or other features in component  26  to help interlock component  26  to strands  80 , and/or may fill gaps in fabric  12 . 
     If desired, interposer  36  may be sufficiently large to accommodate multiple electrical devices each with a respective body  28 . For example, one or more light-emitting diodes, sensors, microprocessors, and/or other electrical devices may be mounted to a common interposer such as interposer  36  of  FIG.  7   . The light-emitting diodes may be micro-light-emitting diodes (e.g., light-emitting diode semiconductor dies having footprints of about 10 microns×10 microns, more than 5 microns×5 microns, less than 100 microns×100 microns, or other suitable sizes). The light-emitting diodes may include light-emitting diodes of different colors (e.g., red, green, blue, white, etc.), infrared light, or ultraviolet light. Redundant light-emitting diodes or other redundant circuitry may be included on interposer  36 . In configurations of the type shown in  FIG.  7    in which multiple electrical devices (each with a respective body  28 ) are mounted on a common interposer, electrical component  26  may include any suitable combination of electrical devices (e.g., light-emitting diodes, sensors, integrated circuits, actuators, and/or other devices of the type described in connection with electrical component  26  of  FIG.  5   ). 
     The examples of  FIGS.  6  and  7    in which devices  28  are only located on one side of interposer  36  are merely illustrative. If desired, devices  28  may be mounted to both sides of interposer  36 . 
     Electrical components  26  may be coupled to fabric structures, individual strands, printed circuits (e.g., rigid printed circuits formed from fiberglass-filled epoxy or other rigid printed circuit board material or flexible printed circuits formed from polyimide substrate layers or other sheets of flexible polymer materials), metal or plastic parts with signal traces, or other structures in item  10 . 
     In some configurations, item  10  may include electrical connections between components  26  and conductive paths in fabric  12 . As shown in  FIG.  8   , for example, component  26  may be coupled to conductive strands  80 C of fabric  12 . Conductive strands  80 C (sometimes referred to as “wires”) may be configured to carry electrical signals (e.g., power, digital signals, analog signals, sensor signals, control signals, data, input signals, output signals, or other suitable electrical current) to and/or from components  26 . Strands  80 C may be warp strands (e.g., warp strands  20  of  FIG.  2   ), weft strands (e.g., weft strands  22  of  FIG.  2   ), or other suitable strands  80  in fabric  12 . One or more of strands  80 C may be conductive. If desired, component  26  may be coupled to only a single conductive strand  80 C, may be coupled to two conductive strands  80 C, or may be coupled to three or more conductive strands  80 C. Arrangements in which component  26  is coupled to a pair of conductive strands  80 C are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. 
     Component  26  may have contact pads such as pad  40 . Solder or other conductive material  82  may be used to couple pads  40  to conductive strands  80 C. In the example of  FIG.  8   , pads  40  are formed on an upper surface of interposer  36  (e.g., the same surface on which device  28  is mounted). Conductive material  82  may be used to electrically and mechanically couple component  26  to strands  80 C of fabric  12 . If desired, pads  40  may instead or may be additionally formed on the lower surface of interposer  36  (e.g., the surface opposite the surface on which device  28  is mounted). The example of  FIG.  8    is merely illustrative. 
     In some configurations, it may be desirable to provide a more robust mechanical connection between component  26  (e.g., component  26  of  FIG.  5 ,  6 ,  7   , or  8 ) and fabric  12  to ensure that component  26  does not come loose when fabric  12  is bent or stretched. To increase the robustness of the connection between strands  80 C and component  26 , component  26  may have one or more recesses for receiving strands  80 C. For example, strands  80 C may each be threaded through a portion of component  26  to help secure component  26  to fabric  12 . Strands  80 C may be threaded through recesses, openings, trenches, grooves, holes, and/or other engagement features of component  26 . The recesses, openings, trenches, grooves, holes, or other engagement features may be formed in device  28 , interposer  36 , protective structure  130 , and/or other portions of component  26 .  FIG.  8    shows an example in which conductive strands  80 C are received within grooves such as grooves  50  that are formed in protective structure  130 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, grooves  50  may instead or additionally be formed in interposer  36 , device  28 , and/or other portions of component  26 . The location, shape, and geometry of grooves  50  of  FIG.  8    are merely illustrative. 
     Grooves  50  (sometimes referred to as trenches, openings, notches, recesses, etc.) in protective structure  130  may be formed by removing portions of protective structure  130  (e.g., using a laser, a mechanical saw, a mechanical mill, or other equipment) or may be formed by molding (e.g., injection molding) or otherwise forming protective structure  130  into a shape that includes grooves  50 . Grooves  50  may have a width between 2 mm and 6 mm, between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm, between 1 mm and 5 mm, between 3 mm and 8 mm, greater than 3 mm, less than 3 mm, or other suitable width. If desired, trenches  50  may have different depths (e.g., to expose contact pads  40  that are located at different surface heights of interposer  36 ). 
     Grooves  50  may expose conductive pads  40  on interposer  36 . Strands  80 C may each be threaded through an associated one of grooves  50  in protective structure  130 . Solder or other conductive material  82  may be used to electrically and mechanically couple strands  80 C to conductive pads  40  in grooves  50  of protective cover  130 . Because strands  80 C are wedged between portions of protective cover  130 , strands  80 C may be resistant to becoming dislodged from interposer  36 . In addition to holding strands  80 C in place so that component  26  remains attached to fabric  12 , grooves  50  may also be used as a physical guide for aligning component  26  relative to fabric  12  during component insertion and attachment operations. This may be beneficial when inserting and attaching component  26  to fabric  12  without line of sight. 
     Each strand  80 C may align with an associated pad  40  on component  26 . If desired, pads  40  may be formed from elongated strips of conductive material (e.g., metal) that extend from one edge of interposer  36  to an opposing edge of interposer  36 , as shown in the example of  FIG.  9   . This provides a large area with which to form a mechanical and electrical connection between interposer  36  and strands  80 C. The elongated shape of pads  40  may allow conductive material  82  to attach a longer portion of strand  80 C to pad  40 . The connection between pad  40  and strand  80 C may, for example, span across the width of interposer  36 , thereby providing a robust connection between interposer  36  and strand  80 C. This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, pads  40 , conductive material  82 , and the exposed conductive portions of strands  80 C may span across less than all of the width of component  26 , as shown in the example of  FIG.  10   . 
     Illustrative interlacing equipment is shown in  FIG.  11   . In the example of  FIG.  11   , interlacing equipment  120  includes weaving equipment for forming woven fabric. 
     In weaving arrangements, interlacing equipment  120  includes a warp strand source such as warp strand source  44 . Source  44  may supply warp strands  20  from a warp beam, a creel, cones, bobbin, or other strand dispensing structure. Source  44  may, for example, dispense warp strands  20  through electrically controlled dispensing rollers or other warp strand dispensing and tensioning equipment (e.g., a rotating drum, electrically controlled actuators, sensors, and/or other equipment that measures, controls, and/or adjusts strand feed and tension of warp strands  20 ). 
     Control circuitry  42  may control the operation of equipment  120 . Control circuitry  42  may include storage and processing circuitry for implementing control functions during weaving operations. The storage may include, for example, random-access memory, non-volatile memory such as read-only memory, hard disk storage, etc. The processing circuitry may include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, and other circuits for executing software instructions obtained from storage. 
     Warp strands  20  may be positioned using warp strand positioning equipment such as heddles  46 . Heddles  46  may each include an eye mounted on a wire or other support structure that extends between respective positioners (or between a positioner and an associated spring or other tensioner). In some arrangements, heddles  46  may be mechanically driven (e.g., by a dobby). In other arrangements, the positioners that move heddles  46  may be motors (e.g., stepper motors) or other electromechanical actuators that are controlled by control circuitry  42  during weaving operations so that warp strands  20  are placed in desired positions during weaving. In particular, control circuitry  42  may supply control signals that move each heddle  46  by a desired amount up or down in directions  122 . By raising and lowering heddles  46  in various patterns (e.g., to different heights) in response to control signals from control circuitry  42 , different patterns of sheds  124  (gaps) between warp strands  20  may be created to adjust the characteristics of the fabric produced by equipment  120 . 
     Weft strands such as weft strand  22  may be inserted into one or more sheds  124  during weaving to form fabric  12 . Weft strand positioning equipment  68  may be used to place one or more weft strands  22  between the warp strands  20  forming each shed  124 . Weft strand positioning equipment  68  for equipment  120  may include one or more shuttles and/or may include shuttleless weft strand positioning equipment (e.g., needle weft strand positioning equipment, rapier weft strand positioning equipment, or other weft strand positioning equipment such as equipment based on projectiles, air or water jets, etc.). For example, weft strand positioning equipment  68  of equipment  120  may include an electrically controllable rapier weft strand device or other weft strand insertion equipment that is controlled by control circuitry  42 . Weft strand positioning equipment  68  may, if desired, be controlled independently of other components in equipment  120 . For example, weft strand insertion operations may be temporarily suspended with or without suspending other weaving operations. 
     Weft strand positioning equipment  68  may insert weft strand  22  into shed  124  across fabric  12  and may attach weft strand  22  to binder  60  on an opposing side of fabric  12  (e.g., a strand that stitches the edges of fabric  12 ). After each pass of weft strand  22  is made through shed  124 , reed  52  (e.g., a reed member with slots or other openings through which respective warp strands  20  pass) may be moved in direction  126  by reed positioner  48  to push the weft strand  22  that has just been inserted into shed  124  between respective warp strands  20  against previously woven fabric  12 , thereby ensuring that a satisfactorily tight weave is produced. Reed  52  may be moved linearly or may rotate back and forth about a shaft to approximate linear reciprocating movement. The positioner for the reed (positioner  48 ) may be, for example, a linear actuator that is controlled by control signals from control circuitry  42  and that moves the reed towards and away from the edge of fabric  12 . 
     Fabric  12  that has been woven may be gathered on fabric collection equipment such as take-down rollers  56  or other take-down equipment. Rollers  56  may collect woven fabric  12  as rollers  56  rotate about respective rotational axes  74 . As shown in  FIG.  11   , take-down equipment  56  may collect fabric  12  on multiple rollers, which may help protect electrical components in fabric  12  while maintaining an appropriate amount of tension in fabric  12 . For example, less tension may be applied to portions of fabric  12  where electrical component  26  is located, while other portions of fabric  12  that do not include electrical components may be held under a higher amount of tension. 
     Equipment  120  may include a hold-down bar such as hold-down bar  62  for applying pressure to woven fabric  12  before fabric  12  is gathered on take-down equipment  56 . To ensure that electrical components  26  in fabric  12  are not damaged by hold-down bar  62 , hold-down bar  62  may have an adjustable height. In particular, control equipment  42  may move hold-down bar  62  up and down in directions  128  to accommodate components  26 . As fabric  12  moves towards take-down equipment  56  and component  26  approaches hold-down bar  62 , control circuitry  42  may move hold-down bar  62  upwards (away from fabric  12 ) to ensure that no pressure (or only modest pressure) is applied to component  26 . When component  26  is no longer beneath hold-down bar  62 , control circuitry  42  may move hold-down bar  62  downwards to apply an appropriate amount of pressure to fabric  12  where components  26  are not located. If desired, the entirety of hold-down bar  62  may move in unison, or hold-down bar  62  may include individually controlled portions  150  (e.g., actively controlled portions, spring-loaded portions, etc.) that may be individually and independently moved along directions  128 . In arrangements where hold-down bar  62  includes individually controlled portions  150 , some portions  150  may remain on the surface of fabric  12  while other portions (e.g., portions that align with component  26 ) may be temporarily lifted to accommodate components  26  as fabric  12  is woven. 
     Warp strand dispensing and tensioning equipment  44 , heddles  46 , reed  52  (including positioner  48 ), weft strand insertion equipment  68 , hold-down bar  62 , and take-down (take-off) equipment such as rollers  56  may each be independently controlled by control circuitry  42 . At the same time, and in coordination with the control of these components, control circuitry  42  may control component insertion and strand processing equipment in equipment  120  (e.g., so that light-emitting diodes, integrated circuits, sensors, and other electrical components such as component  26  can be inserted into fabric  12 ). 
     For example, control circuitry  42  may temporarily suspend weaving operations (e.g., may temporarily suspend movement of weaving components such as warp strand dispensing and tensioning equipment  44 , heddles  46 , reed  52 , weft strand insertion equipment  68 , hold-down bar  62 , and take-down equipment  56 ) while electrically controlled strand processing equipment performs processing operations on strands  20  and/or  22  and/or while component insertion equipment inserts electrical components into fabric  12  (e.g., by soldering contacts on electrical components to conductive strands  20  and/or  22 ). 
     Strand processing equipment may include insulation removal tool  70  and heating tool  64 . Insulation removal tool  70  may include lasers, heating elements, and/or other components that generate light, heat, and/or other energy for removing insulation from the exterior of insulated conductive strands  80 C. Heating tool  64  may include an inductive head, heating elements, a hot air source, lasers, and/or other components that generate heat and/or other energy for melting solder and/or melting encapsulant material on components  26 . For example, solder  82  ( FIG.  8   ) may be reflowed on contacts  40  to thereby solder component  26  to conductive strands  80 C. Encapsulant material such as portions of protective structure  130  may also be melted using heating tool  64  to form a robust mechanical connection and provide encapsulation around the electrical connection. If desired, equipment  120  may include other strand processing equipment such as components for applying coatings and/or other equipment for modifying strands  20  and/or strands  22 . If desired, heating elements may be incorporated into other components in equipment  120  such as hold-down bar  62  and/or support structure  58 . 
     If desired, insulation may be removed from strands, solder may be reflowed, and encapsulant material may be melted using a single tool (e.g., a laser and/or heating element may be used to remove insulation, reflow solder, and melt encapsulant material at the same time and/or at different times). Arrangements where a first tool such as insulation removal tool  70  (e.g., a laser) is used to remove insulation from strands  20  and/or  22  and a second tool such as heating tool  64  (e.g., an inductive heating tool, hot air, laser, etc.) is used to reflow solder and melt encapsulant material are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. If desired, one or more sensors such as pyrometer  72  may be used to monitor the temperature of component  26 , fabric  12 , and/or other components during insulation removal operations, during solder reflow operations, and/or during the melting of encapsulant material. Support structures that are not susceptible to inductive heating such support structure  58  (e.g., a block of dielectric material such as ceramic, plastic, etc.) may be used to provide support under fabric  12  where component  26  will be mounted. If desired, conductive strands in fabric  12  such as conductive strands  80 C may include non-insulated conductive strands (e.g., strands that do not include an outer insulator) and insulation removal tool  70  may not be needed. 
     Component insertion equipment for inserting components into fabric  12  during the formation of fabric  12  may include insertion tool  54 . Insertion tool  54  may include an insertion head  54 A and an electrically controlled positioner  54 B that positions the insertion head within shed  124 . Insertion tool  54  may be used to insert components  26  (e.g., electrical components) into fabric  12 . For example, insertion tool  54  may place component  26  in shed  124 , may align grooves  50  in component  26  with conductive strands  80 C, and may slide component  26  along conductive strands  80 C into a void in fabric  12  such as pocket  66  so that the exposed conductive segments of conductive strands  80 C in pocket  66  are received within grooves  50  and aligned with pads  40  of component  26 . In other arrangements, insertion tool  54  may align component  26  with segments of strands  80 C that are initially located outside of pocket  66 . In this type of scenario, component  26  may be aligned with strands  80 C, electrically connected (e.g., soldered) to strands  80 C, and encapsulated (if desired) before component  26  is inserted into pocket  66 . If desired, equipment  120  may include a spreading tool for spreading warp strands to create a shed opening through which component  26  may be accessed for out-of-pocket processing of component  26 . This type of out-of-pocket processing is described in more detail in connection with  FIGS.  29 - 34   . 
     If desired, fabric  12  may have multiple pockets  66  for multiple components  26  and/or may have multiple components  26  in each pocket  66 . If desired, components  26  may be mounted to portions of fabric  12  other than pockets  66  during the formation of fabric  12  (e.g., may be mounted to an upper or lower surface of fabric  12  and/or to other portions of fabric  12 ). Pockets  66  may be staggered with respect to one another or formed in one line. Multiple components  26  in one pocket  66  may be staggered with respect to one another or formed in one line. If desired, multiple components  26  may be electrically connected to the same pair of conductive strands and/or a component may have a first terminal coupled to one portion of a strand and a second terminal coupled to a second portion of the same strand. Pocket  66  may be entirely opaque, may be entirely transparent, or may have both opaque and transparent regions. Transparent portions of pocket  66  may allow light emitted from one or more devices  28  to be transmitted through fabric  12  and/or may allow external light to reach (and be detected by) one or more devices  28 . 
     Insertion tool  54  may include one or more components for mounting electrical components  26  in fabric  12 . For example, insertion tool  54  may include an electrically controlled actuator for regulating the release of components  26  from insertion tool  54  (e.g., when component  26  is in pocket  66 ), may include sensors for monitoring the positions of strands  20  and/or strands  22 , sensors for monitoring the positions of components  26 , sensors for measuring temperature, sensors for measuring resistance, or other devices for gathering input and/or data on the environment surrounding insertion tool  54 . 
       FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional side view of fabric  12  showing how component  26  may be mounted in pocket  66  of fabric  12 . As shown in  FIG.  12   , pocket  66  may be formed from a gap between fabric portion  12 - 1  and fabric portion  12 - 2 . Component  26  may be located in pocket  66  and may be attached to conductive strands  80 C in pocket  66 . Encapsulant material  260  (e.g., thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials) may encapsulate the solder connection between component  26  and conductive strands  80 C. Encapsulant material  260  may be a part of protective structure  130  ( FIG.  8   ) that is melted to cover the solder connection in each groove  50  (e.g., as described in connection with  FIGS.  26  and  27   ), or encapsulant material  260  may be a separate encapsulant material that is dispensed in each groove  50  (e.g., as described in connection with  FIG.  31   ). In some arrangements, encapsulant material  260  may be formed from a dual-phase solder material (e.g., a solder material that releases encapsulation material during the soldering process). If desired, component  26  may include both encapsulant that is dispensed in grooves  50  (e.g., on an upper and/or lower side of component  26 ) as well as thermoplastic that is melted (e.g., on an upper and/or lower side of component  26 ) to help secure component  26  to fabric  12 . 
     Warp strands  20  and weft strands  22  may overlap the opposing upper and lower surfaces of component  26  in pocket  66 . If desired, there may be a greater or fewer number of strands  20  and  22  in fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  than shown in  FIG.  12   . The example of FIG.  12  is merely illustrative. In some arrangements, the gap between first and second fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may remain in place after electrical component  26  is enclosed in fabric  12  (e.g., a space may exist between fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  after formation of fabric  12  is complete, as shown in the example of  FIG.  12   ). In other arrangements, first and second fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be pulled together such that gap  66  is eliminated after electrical component  26  is enclosed in the gap (e.g., fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be in contact with one another without an intervening gap after the formation of fabric  12  is complete). Fabric  12  may have a bulge where electrical component  26  is located (as shown in the example of  FIG.  12   ), or fabric  12  may not have a bulge where electrical component  26  is located (e.g., the fabric may have substantially uniform thickness across locations with electrical components  26  and locations without electrical components  26 , if desired). 
     The examples of  FIGS.  11  and  12    in which component  26  is inserted into a woven fabric are merely illustrative. If desired, component  26  may be inserted into fabric that is knit using knitting equipment. An illustrative knitting system for knitting fabric  12  is shown in  FIG.  13   . 
     As shown in  FIG.  13   , interlacing equipment  120  for knitting arrangements may include a strand source such as strand source  182 . Strand source  182  may include a creel with spools of strands  80 . Knitting elements  184  may be used to knit strands  80  into knitted fabric  12 . Knitted fabric  12  may be gathered on drums or other take-down equipment  56 . If desired, take-down equipment  56  may have multiple independently-controlled rollers similar to take-down equipment  56  of  FIG.  11   . 
     Knitting elements  184  may include strand guide structures such as feeders  188  that guide strands  80  towards needles and other equipment  190 . Equipment  190  may include latch needles or needles of other types. In some arrangements, equipment  190  may include multiple beds of needles such as a front needle bed and a back needle bed. Equipment  190  may include strand positioning structures that move strands  80  from one needle bed to another needle bed. Equipment  190  may also include hooks or other cam structures and other structures for manipulating the positions of needles. The needles, feeders, and other knitting elements  184  may be implemented as separately adjustable components or the functionality of two or more of these tools may be combined in equipment  184 . 
     In some arrangements, interlacing equipment  120  of  FIG.  13    may be used to form weft knit fabric  12  of the type shown in  FIG.  14   . As shown in  FIG.  14   , weft knit fabric  12  may be formed from weft strands  22  that form rows of loops extending across the width of the fabric. The rows of loops may be interlaced with one another to form weft knit fabric  12 . Conductive strands  80 C may be incorporated into weft knit fabric  12  of  FIG.  14   . 
     In some arrangements, interlacing equipment  120  of  FIG.  13    may be used to form warp knit fabric  12  of the type shown in  FIG.  15   . In a warp knit fabric, warp strands  20  form columns of loops that zig-zag along the length of the fabric. The columns of loops are interlaced with one another to form warp knit fabric  12 . Conductive strands  80 C may be incorporated into warp knit fabric  12  of  FIG.  15   . 
       FIG.  16    shows how component  26  may be mounted to conductive strands  80 C during the knitting process. Interlacing equipment  120  of  FIG.  13    may be used to form gap  66  between first and second fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2 . Fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be different portions of a single knit fabric layer or fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be located in separate knit fabric layers. In the diagram of  FIG.  16   , fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  are each represented using a single set of loops (e.g., a cross-section of the loops extending along line  160  of  FIG.  14   ). It should be understood, however, that fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be formed from multiple rows or columns of loops that are interlaced to form weft knit fabric of the type shown in  FIG.  14    or warp knit fabric of the type shown in  FIG.  15   . For example, a first needle bed may be used to interlace the loops of fabric portion  12 - 1 , and a second needle bed may be used to interlace loops of fabric portion  12 - 2 . Gap  66  may, if desired, be located between the two needle beds. 
     As shown in  FIG.  16   , one or more conductive strands such as conductive strand  80 C is located in gap  66 . Insertion tool  54  may be used to insert component  26  into gap  66  and onto conductive strands  80 C. Insertion tool  54  may align grooves  50  on component  26  with conductive strands  80 C. 
     If desired, strand processing equipment such as insulation removal tool  70  and heating tool  64  of  FIG.  11    may be used to process strands  80  during the knitting process. For example, insulation removal tool  70  may be used to remove insulation from the exterior of insulated conductive strands  80 C during the knitting process. Heating tool  64  may be used to melt solder and/or melting encapsulant material on components  26  during the knitting process. For example, solder  82  ( FIG.  8   ) may be reflowed on contacts  40  to thereby solder component  26  to conductive strands  80 C. Encapsulant material such as portions of protective structure  130  ( FIG.  8   ) may also be melted using heating tool  64  to form a robust mechanical connection and provide encapsulation around the electrical connection. 
       FIG.  17    is a perspective view of an illustrative insertion tool  54  which may be used to insert component  26  into gap  66  of fabric  12  while fabric  12  is being knitted using interlacing equipment  120  of  FIG.  13   . If desired, insertion tool  54  may have a vertically extending body with a slim profile so that insertion tool  54  can slide component  26  into gap  66  of  FIG.  16   . 
     The example of  FIG.  16    in which grooves  50  are located on an upper surface of component  26  so that component  26  can be inserted from below conductive strand  80 C in gap  66  is merely illustrative. If desired, grooves  50  may be located in a lower surface of component  26  so that component  26  can be inserted from above conductive strand  80 C, as shown in the example of  FIG.  18   . 
       FIG.  19    is a diagram illustrating how component  26  may be inserted into a braided fabric during the formation of the braided fabric. As shown in  FIG.  19   , interlacing equipment  120  in braiding arrangements may include guide bars  196  that are used to braid strands  80 . Conductive strands  80 C may be incorporated into braided fabric  12 . To account for the braided structure of fabric  12 , component  26  may have a first groove  50  in an upper surface and a second groove  50  in a lower surface. If desired, grooves  50  may be oriented along different directions to receive strands  80 C that are oriented along different directions in fabric  12 . For example, upper and lower grooves  50  may be perpendicular to one another, oriented at 45 degrees with respect to one another, oriented at 30 degrees with respect to one another, or oriented at any other suitable angle with respect to one another. 
       FIG.  20    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative conductive strand  80 C that may be used in fabric  12 . As shown in  FIG.  20   , conductive strand  80  may have a conductive core  88  surrounded by an insulating coating  90 . In arrangements where tool  70  of  FIG.  11    is a laser, tool  70  may emit light  86  (e.g., ultraviolet light, visible light, and/or infrared light). Light  86  may, for example, have a wavelength that is absorbed by insulating coating  90  and not absorbed by conductive core  88 . Light  86  may be emitted continuously (e.g., using a continuous wave laser) or may be emitted in pulses (e.g., to perform laser ablation operations). Tool  70  may emit laser pulses having durations of 10 −15 -10 −12  seconds, 10 −15 -10 −9  seconds, longer than on picosecond, shorter than one picosecond, longer than one nanosecond, shorter than one nanosecond, between one femtosecond and one millisecond, or other suitable durations. Short pulses may have high energy densities and may be suitable for ablating (vaporizing) polymers and other materials without melting nearby structures. Short pulses, longer duration pulses, and/or continuous wave light beams may be used in softening and/or melting polymers and other materials. 
     A computer-controlled positioner may be used to adjust the position of laser  70  and thereby adjust the position of laser beam  86  relative to strand  80 C. If desired, ancillary beam steering structures such as adjustable mirror  92  may be used to adjust the position of laser beam  86 . As shown in  FIG.  20   , some laser light  86  may be aimed directly at strand  80 C to remove a portion of insulating coating  90 , whereas other laser light  86  may be aimed at mirror  92  to remove another portion of insulating coating  90 . This may ensure that all or nearly all of insulating coating  90  around the circumference of strand  80 C is removed from the desired portion of conductive strand  80 C. This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, strand  80 C may be rotated during laser ablation operations to ensure that insulating coating  90  is removed from the desired portions of conductive strand  80 C. 
     Once insulating coating  90  has been removed from a desired portion of strand  80 C, conductive core  88  may be exposed, as shown in  FIG.  21   . If desired, insulating coating  90  may be removed only from a portion of strand  80 C while insulating coating  90  remains on other portions of strand  80 C, as shown in  FIG.  22   . This creates exposed conductive segments  84  on strands  80 C while the remaining portions of strands  80 C remain insulated. 
       FIG.  23    is a perspective view of an illustrative insertion tool  54 . Insertion tool  54  may be formed from an insulating material (e.g., ceramic, plastic, or other suitable insulating material) so as not to become heated during induction heating operations. In other arrangements, insertion tool  54  may be used as a heating tool itself and may include a heating element that produces heat or a metal element such as a metal coil that becomes heated during induction heating operations. If desired, tool  54  may be compatible with interchangeable tool heads. For example, different insertion tool heads may be attached to tool  54  (e.g., for components  26  of different types, size, shape, number, etc.) and/or heads that perform other functions (e.g., heating tool heads, machining tool heads, cutting tool heads, laser tool heads, a head containing a mirror such as mirror  92  of  FIG.  20    for use with laser  70 , etc.) may be attached to the end of tool  54 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  23   , insertion tool  54  may include an end portion  94  for holding component  26  as component  26  is inserted into fabric  12  during weaving operations. If desired, a pick-and-place tool may be used to place one or more components  26  onto end portion  94  of tool  54 . Releasable engagement structures such as engagement structures  96  may hold component  26  in place until it is desired to release component  26  from insertion tool  54 . Engagement structures  96  may be friction tabs that flex in and out to hold and release component  26 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, other suitable engagement structures may be used to hold component  26  in place on tool  54  and to release component  26  from tool  54 . 
       FIG.  24    is a perspective view of insertion tool  54  being used to insert component  26  into fabric  12 . As shown in  FIG.  24   , insertion tool  54  may hold component  26  on an upper surface as insertion tool  54  moves into ss  124  ( FIG.  11   ). Once in shed  124 , insertion tool  54  may align component  26  with conductive strands  80 C. In particular, insertion tool  54  may align conductive strands  80 C with grooves  50  in component  26 . If desired, conductive strands  80 C may initially be positioned to hover within grooves  50  to avoid contact with solder paste  82  in grooves  50  until component  26  is in pocket  66 . Such positioning may be achieved by raising conductive strands  80 C (e.g., with peddles  46 ) and/or using insertion tool  54  to maintain a small gap between solder  82  and strands  80 C until component  26  has reached the appropriate position in pocket  66 . 
     Once conductive strands  80 C are aligned with grooves  50  in component  26 , insertion tool  54  may move component  26  in direction  98  while sliding component  26  along strands  80 C until component  26  has reached the appropriate position in pocket  66 . In particular, insertion tool  54  may continue in direction  98  until pads  40  on component  26  are appropriately aligned with exposed conductive segments  84  of strands  80 C, as shown in  FIG.  25   . 
     Once component  26  has reached the appropriate position in pocket  66 , heating tool  64  may be used to reflow solder  82  and, if desired, melt protective structure  130  on component  26 . As shown in  FIG.  25   , inductive heating tool  64  may locally heat solder  82  and/or protective structure  130  ( FIG.  8   ) to thereby reflow solder  82  and melt protective structure  130 . This creates a robust electrical and mechanical connection between component  26  and strands  80 C. 
       FIG.  26    is a cross-sectional side view of fabric  12  showing how insertion tool  54  may hold component  26  in pocket  66  during heating operations. Interlacing equipment  120  (e.g., weaving equipment of  FIG.  11   , knitting equipment of  FIG.  13   , braiding equipment of  FIG.  19   , or other suitable interlacing equipment) may form pocket  66  by creating a space between two or more portions of fabric  12  (e.g., between upper fabric portion  12 - 1  and lower fabric portion  12 - 2 ). Pocket  66  may help orient component  26  so that solder pads  40  (and solder  82  on pads  40 ) are aligned with respective conductive strands  80 C. During operation of item  10 , conductive strands  80 C may carry signals between component  26  and other circuitry in item  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  26   , protective structure  130  may include different materials such as material  130 A and material  130 B. Grooves  50  may extend through both material  130 A and material  130 B. Material  130 B may, if desired, be formed from thermoplastic having a higher melting temperature than material  130 A so that only material  130 A melts during heating operations. Upon heating using tool  64 , solder  82  may reflow to form a mechanical and electrical connection between conductive strands  80 C and component  26 . Material  130 A may cover the upper portions of strands  80 C. After reflowing solder  82  and melting material  130 A, insertion tool  54  may release component  26  and may be moved out of pocket  66 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, encapsulant material such as protective structure  130  may be omitted or may be melted using a different tool and/or during a different step (e.g., before or after solder reflow operations). 
     As shown in  FIG.  27   , material  130 A may fill in gaps surrounding strands  80 C and within grooves  50 , thereby forming a robust mechanical connection while also forming an encapsulation layer that protects the electrical connection from moisture and other contaminants. 
     In the example of  FIG.  27   , pocket  66  is shown as a gap separating fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, first and second fabric portions  12 - 1  and  12 - 2  may be pulled together such that gap  66  is eliminated after electrical component  26  is inserted. Fabric  12  may have a bulge where electrical component  26  is located, or fabric  12  may not have a bulge where electrical component  26  is located (e.g., the fabric may have substantially uniform thickness across locations with electrical components  26  and locations without electrical components  26 , as shown in the example of  FIG.  27   ). 
     Illustrative operations involved in inserting electrical components into fabric during the formation of the fabric are shown in  FIG.  28   . In  FIG.  28   , steps for inserting electrical components into a woven fabric are shown as an illustrative example. However, it should be understood that similar methods, steps, and operations may be used to insert electrical components into a knit fabric, braided fabric, or other suitable fabric during formation of the fabric. 
     During the operations of step  100 , control circuitry  42  may position heddles  46  so as to isolate a desired set of conductive strands  80 C (e.g., wires) from other warp strands  20  in preparation for insulation removal. Conductive strands  80 C may be separated from other warp strands  20  by creating sheds  124  above and below strands  80 C or by creating a single shed  124  below or above strands  80 C. 
     At step  102 , insulation removal tool  70  may be used to remove insulation from the appropriate portions of conductive strands  80 C. This may include, for example, positioning mirror  92  ( FIG.  20   ) and laser  70  relative to strands  80 C and laser ablating coating  90  to expose conductive core  88  along conductive segments  84 . Control circuitry  42  may determine at which pick number to begin insulation removal operations based on the strand consumption in the fabric structure. 
     At step  104 , control circuitry  42  may continue weaving and may begin forming one or more pockets  66  in fabric  12 . This may include, for example, creating a gap between upper and lower fabric layers. Control circuitry  42  may synchronize the timing at which pocket  66  is formed with respect to the position of conductive segments  84  so that conductive segments  84  are properly received within pocket  66  when pocket  66  is formed. 
     At step  106 , control circuitry  42  may reposition one or more components in equipment  120  in preparation for component insertion. This may include, for example, repositioning hold-down bar  62 . The entirety of hold-down bar  62  may be lifted away from fabric  12  or one or more individual portions  150  of hold-down bar  62  may be lifted in preparation for an approaching electrical component  26 . If desired, other components of equipment  120  may be repositioned (e.g., weft insertion and positioning equipment  68 , reed  52 , and/or other components in component  120  may be moved out of the way in preparation for component insertion). 
     At step  108 , insertion tool  54  may be used to insert component  26  into pocket  66 . During the insertion operations of step  108 , one or more components of the interlacing equipment may be repositioned or paused, or the interlacing equipment may continue interlacing operations without any change. Control circuitry  42  may position heddles  46  so as to isolate a conductive strands  80 C from other warp strands  20  in preparation for insulation removal. A first shed  124  may be created above strands  80 C and a second shed  124  may be created below strands  80 C, or a single shed  124  may be located below or above strands  80 C. The location of the shed that component  26  is inserted into may be based on which side of component  26  will be attached to conductive strands  80 C. If an upper surface of component  26  is going to be attached to strands  80 C, then component  26  may be inserted into a shed  124  below strands  80 C (as shown in  FIG.  11   , for example). If a lower surface of component  26  is going to be attached to strands  80 C, then component  26  may be inserted into a shed  124  above strands  80 C. 
     Insertion tool  54  may move into shed  124  and may align conductive strands  80 C with grooves  50  in component  26 . Insertion tool  54  may then slide component  26  along strands  80 C into pocket  66  until conductive segments  84  are positioned above solder  82  in grooves  50 . Control circuitry  42  may determine when to stop moving insertion tool  54  based on the amount of time that has passed since laser ablating strands  80 C. 
     At step  110 , a heating tool such as inductive heating tool  64  may be used to inductively heat and reflow solder  82 . If desired, heating tool  64  may also be used to heat protective structure  130  (e.g., portion  130 A of protective cover  130 ), thereby melting some or all of protective structure  130 . Solder reflow operations and encapsulant material melting operations may be performed at the same time or may be performed during separate steps. If desired, other heating techniques may be used (e.g., hot air, conduction, heat from a lamp, or other energy) to melt solder and/or encapsulant material. The use of inductive heating is merely illustrative. If desired, insertion tool  54  and/or strands  80 C may vibrate during heating to enhance solder reflow and form a robust mechanical and electrical connection between component  26  and strands  80 C. 
     At step  112 , insertion tool  54  may release component  26  (e.g., by flexing tabs  96  of  FIG.  23    away from component  26  and moving insertion tool  54  out of pocket  66 ). 
     At step  114 , control circuitry  42  may resynchronize components in equipment  120  (e.g., by adjusting the position, speed, tension control, or other characteristics of components such as warp strand positioning equipment, the weft strand positioning equipment, the component insertion equipment, the reed, the warp tensioning equipment, the hold-down bar, the take-down equipment, the insulation removal equipment, and the heating equipment) and may resume weaving operations. This may include, for example, closing pocket  66  so that component  26  is fully enclosed within pocket  66  and lowering hold-down bar  62  to its normal position. 
     In some scenarios, it may be desirable to perform certain processing operations with line-of-sight access to component  26 . For example, aligning component  26  with conductive strands  80 C (e.g., with conductive segments  84  of strands  80 C), soldering operations, encapsulation operations, electrical connection verification operations, and/or other processing operations may be performed while the electrical component is exposed or partially exposed to the exterior of the fabric. 
       FIGS.  29 - 34    show illustrative equipment and steps involved in out-of-pocket processing in which insulation removal operations, alignment operations, soldering operations, and encapsulation operations are performed before the component is inserted into the pocket, thereby allowing visual and physical access to the electrical component during these processing operations. 
     As shown in  FIG.  29   , interlacing equipment (e.g., equipment  120  of  FIG.  4    and/or  FIG.  11   ) may be used to create fabric  12  and to create pocket  66  in fabric  12 . Pocket  66  may initially have an open side facing shed  124 . Fabric  12  may include one or more conductive strands  80 C. Conductive strands  80 C may be loose in pocket  66  (e.g., not incorporated into or interlaced with fabric portions  12 - 1  or  12 - 2 ) or conductive strands  80 C may be interlaced with upper portion  12 - 1  and/or lower portion  12 - 2  of fabric  12  in pocket  66 . In the example of  FIG.  29   , strand  80 C is incorporated into lower fabric portion  12 - 2 . 
     During interlacing operations, warp strand positioning equipment may be used to position warp strands  20  to create shed  124  between upper warp strands  20 A and lower warp strands  20 B. The warp strand positioning equipment may position conductive strands  80 C that have not yet been incorporated into fabric  12  between upper warp strands  20 A and lower warp strands  20 B. Strands  80 C may include segments  84  where component  26  will be attached. Segments  84  may be segments from which insulation has already been removed (e.g., using a laser ablation tool that ablates the insulation and/or using a solder head that melts away the insulation) to expose conductive portions of strands  80 C, or segments  84  may be insulated segments from which the outer insulation has not yet been removed. 
     Because segments  84  are located outside of pocket  66  when component  26  is attached, insertion tool  54  may have better access for aligning component  26  with segments  84 . While warp positioning equipment positions conductive strands  80 C between upper warp strands  20 A and lower warp strands  20 B, insertion tool  54  may hold component  26  and may align component  26  with segments  84  of conductive strands  80 C. This may include, for example, aligning one or more grooves  50  on component  26  with segments  84  of strands  80 C. A spreading tool such as spreading tool  202  may be used to spread upper warp strands  20 A apart, thereby creating an opening in the upper portion of shed  124  through which processing equipment may access component  26 . If desired, tool  202  may be used to spread apart lower warp strands  20 B to create an opening in the lower portion of shed  124  (to provide access to component  26  from below). Arrangements in which tool  202  creates an opening in upper shed warp strands  20 A are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. 
       FIG.  30    is a top view of fabric  12  showing how spreading tool  202  may create an opening such as opening  206  between first and second groups of upper shed warp strands  20 A. Spreading tool  202  may have a first portion such as portion  202 A that holds a first group of warp strands  20 A to one side and a second portion such as portion  202 B that holds a second group of warp strands  20 A to the other side. Spreading tool  202  may be formed from metal, plastic, or other suitable material and may include prongs and/or hooks that can pull apart strands in fabric  12 . If desired, spreading tool  202  may be part of reed  52  or may be a separate component from reed  52 . Spreading tool  202  may be controlled manually by an equipment operator and/or may be controlled by computer-controlled positioning equipment. Opening  206  exposes component  26  to the exterior of fabric  12 . This allows line-of-sight access (e.g., to an equipment operator, to a camera, and/or to computer-controlled positioning equipment) to component  26  through opening  206 . If desired, a tool such as a comb, clamp, and/or part of hold-down bar  62  may be used to hold portions of fabric  12  in place as opening  206  is formed in shed  124 , thereby minimizing defects in fabric  12 . 
     In arrangements where insulation has already been removed from segments  84 , insertion tool  54  may align component  26  with the exposed conductive segments  84 . In arrangements where insulation has not yet been removed from segments  84 , insertion tool  54  may align component  26  with the regions of strands  80 C where insulation will be removed. 
     Once insertion tool  54  has appropriately aligned component  26  with strands  80 C (e.g., once segments  84  are received within grooves  50  of component  26 ) and/or once spreading tool  202  has created opening  206 , additional processing steps may take place before component  26  is inserted into pocket  66 . As shown in  FIG.  31   , equipment  212  may be used to access component  26  through opening  206  in upper shed strands  20 A. Opening  206  may provide line-of-sight access of component  26  to a viewer such as viewer  208  viewing component  26  in direction  210  (or to a camera that is viewing component  26  in direction  210 ). 
     Equipment  212  may include insulation removal equipment (e.g., a solder head or other heating tool that melts insulation away, laser ablation equipment that ablates insulation away, or other equipment for removing outer insulating layers from strands  80 C), electrical connection equipment (e.g., soldering tools for dispensing and/or heating solder, conductive adhesive application equipment, etc.), encapsulation tools for dispensing encapsulation, and/or may include other tools that are used to process component  26  before component  26  is inserted into pocket  66 . If desired, insulation removal and soldering may be achieved using the same heat application tool (e.g., in the same processing step or in separate processing steps). 
     In the example of  FIG.  31   , equipment  212  includes solder head  216  and encapsulation material dispensing head  214 . While spreading tool  202  holds warp strands  20 A apart, solder head  216  may access component  26  through opening  206  and may heat solder that has been previously applied to component  26  (or may both apply and heat solder on component  26 , if desired). This may include, for example, reflowing solder  82  ( FIG.  8   ) in grooves  50  to create an electrical connection between strands  80 C and component  26 . Following soldering operations, encapsulant dispensing head  214  may access component  26  through opening  206  and may apply encapsulation material (e.g., encapsulation material  260  of  FIG.  12   ) to the electrical connection between strands  80 C and component  26 . If desired, additional processing operations may be performed on component  26  while spreading tool  202  holds apart upper warp strands  20 A. For example, the integrity of the electrical connection between component  26  and strands  80 C may be verified visually and/or using measurement equipment that accesses component  26  through opening  206 , if desired. 
     When the desired processing operations such as alignment, soldering, encapsulation, and/or electrical connection verification are completed, spreading tool  202  may be removed and insertion tool  54  may move in direction  218  to insert component  26  into pocket  66 . Because component  26  is now attached to strands  80 C, strands  80 C may move with component  26  into pocket  66 . As a result, some of strand  80 C may loop back on itself as component  26  is inserted into pocket  66 . 
       FIG.  32    shows how a retention tool such as component retention tool  220  may hold component  26  in pocket  66  before insertion tool  54  releases component  26 . In the example of  FIG.  32   , component retention tool  220  may have one or more small prongs that extend through fabric  12  (e.g., that extend through spaces between adjacent strands in fabric  12 ) to thereby hold component  26  in pocket  66 . Once component  26  is retained by component retention tool  220 , insertion tool  54  may release component  26  and may exit shed  124  in direction  222 . In other arrangements, component retention tool  220  may be a tool that applies external pressure to fabric  12  to hold component  26  in place. For example, hold-down bar  62  may be used to apply external pressure and thereby serve as a component retention tool, or a separate tool (e.g., that travels with hold-down bar  62 , if desired) may be used to apply external pressure to fabric  12  to hold component  26  in pocket  66 . 
       FIG.  33    shows how component retention structure  220  may remain in place after insertion tool  54  is removed so that component  26  is retained within pocket  66  while weaving operations continue and pocket  66  is closed. When pocket  66  is closed and component  26  is held within fabric pocket  66 , component retention tool  220  may be removed. 
       FIG.  34    is a cross-sectional side view of component  26  in fabric  12  following the processing steps described in connection with  FIGS.  29 - 33   . As shown in  FIG.  34   , some of conductive strand  80 C may overlap itself within pocket  66  as a result of attaching component  26  to strand  80 C outside of pocket  66  and then inserting component  26  into pocket  66 . If desired, additional processing steps may take place after component  26  is inserted into pocket  66  to prevent loose portions of strands  80 C from becoming entangled within pocket  66 . For example, encapsulant material  280  (e.g., thermoplastic) on one or more sides of component  26  (e.g., on a bottom side of component  26  facing loose portions of strands  80 C) may be heated (e.g., using inductive heating techniques or other heat application equipment). The melted encapsulant  280  may capture loose portions of strands  80 C in pocket  66  and may secure the bottom of component  26  to other strands in pocket  66  of fabric  12 . 
       FIG.  35    shows another illustrative example in which some of the processing operations associated with attaching component  26  to fabric  12  during the formation of fabric  12  are performed with light-of-sight access to component  26 . In the example of  FIG.  35   , component  26  is inserted into pocket  66  and is electrically connected to strands  80 C while in pocket  66 . To provide visual access, electrical contacts  40  of component  26  may be located on an edge portion of component  26  that is exposed along an open side of pocket  66 . Component  26  may have a T-shape with first and second protruding arms. Grooves  50  may be located in the protruding arms of component  26 . The T-shape may ensure that conductive strands  80 C only need to extend up and over the protruding portions of component  26  rather extending up and over the entire length of component  26 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, component  26  may have other suitable shapes. 
     While component  26  is in pocket  66  and strands  80 C are in grooves  50 , a tool such as hot bar tool  224  may be used to reflow solder  82  ( FIG.  8   ) on the exposed contacts  40  at the edge of pocket  66 . Rod  226  may be used to hold warp strands including strands  80 C away from component  26  so that hot bar  224  can easily access component  26  without strands  80 C in the way. If desired, hot bar  224  may have elongated prong elements that fit within grooves  50  to help reflow solder in grooves  50 . Following soldering operations, additional processing operations such as encapsulation operations and/or electrical connection verification operations may be performed while the edge of component  26  is still exposed at the edge of pocket  66 . When the desired processing operations are completed, interlacing may continue and pocket  66  may be closed. 
       FIG.  36    is a top view of another illustrative example of how processing equipment may access component  26 . In the example of  FIG.  36   , fabric opener tool  228  is used to create opening  230  in fabric  12  by pulling strands of fabric  12  apart. Opening  230  may provide access to component  26  in pocket  66 . Processing equipment such as insulation removal equipment, electrical connection (e.g., soldering) equipment, encapsulation equipment, electrical connection verification equipment, and/or other equipment may access component  26  in pocket  66  via opening  230 . When the desired processing operations are completed, tool  228  may be removed and opening  230  may be closed. If desired, additional interlacing operations may take place after tool  228  is removed (e.g., equipment  120  may continue weaving). 
     In the example of  FIG.  37   , fabric opening tool  240  is used to hold a portion of fabric  12  open during interlacing operations. Tool  240  may have a tube-like shape and may be placed in alignment with component  26  in pocket  66 . During interlacing operations, strands of upper fabric portion  12 - 1  may be interlaced around tool  240 , thereby creating void  250  in upper fabric  12 - 1  that aligns with component  26 . A viewer such as viewer  232  viewing fabric  12  in direction  234  (or a camera viewing fabric  12  in direction  234 ) may be able to see component  26  through opening  250 . While tool  240  is in place, processing equipment such as insulation removal equipment, electrical connection (e.g., soldering) equipment, encapsulation equipment, electrical connection verification equipment, and/or other equipment may access component  26  in pocket  66  via opening  250  created by tool  240 . For example, laser  238  may emit laser light  242  towards mirror  236 , which in turn may reflect the laser light  242  through opening  250  toward solder  82  on component  26 . The heat from laser light  242  may reflow solder  82  and thereby electrically couple component  26  to fabric  12 . When the desired processing operations are completed, tool  240  may be removed and the opening in fabric  12  may be closed. If desired, additional interlacing operations may take place after tool  240  is removed (e.g., equipment  120  may continue weaving). 
       FIG.  38    is a side view of another illustrative example in which visual access to component  26  in pocket  66  is gained with an endoscope. As shown in  FIG.  38   , insertion tool  54  may insert component  26  into pocket  66 . While insertion tool  54  holds component  26  in pocket  66 , an optical device such as endoscope  244  may also be inserted into pocket  66 . Endoscope  244  may have optical fibers that are used to gather endoscopic image data of component  26 . An equipment operator and/or a computer-controlled positioning device may receive the endoscopic image data, which may in turn be used during alignment operations, insulation removal operations, soldering operations, encapsulation operations, and/or other processing operations. If desired, endoscope  244  may be a laser endoscope that can apply laser light to reflow solder on component  26  while also gathering endoscopic images of component  26 . When the desired processing operations are completed, endoscope  244  and insertion tool  54  may be removed and interlacing operations may continue to close pocket  66 . 
     As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from specific and legitimate sources. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, telephone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records relating to a user&#39;s health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other personal information. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that may be of greater interest to the user in accordance with their preferences. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users to have greater control of the delivered content. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used, in accordance with the user&#39;s preferences to provide insights into their general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that those entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities would be expected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Such information regarding the use of personal data should be prominent and easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate uses only. Further, such collection/sharing should occur only after receiving the consent of the users or other legitimate basis specified in applicable law. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations that may serve to impose a higher standard. For instance, in the US, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, such as in the case of advertisement delivery services, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide mood-associated data for targeted content delivery services. In yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time mood-associated data is maintained or entirely block the development of a baseline mood profile. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods such as differential privacy. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content can be selected and delivered to users based on aggregated non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as the content being handled only on the user&#39;s device or other non-personal information available to the content delivery services. 
     In accordance with a first embodiment, equipment for forming fabric having at least one conductive strand includes interlacing equipment that interlaces first strands and second strands to form the fabric; control circuitry that controls the interlacing equipment to create a gap between the first strands and the second strands; and an insertion tool that positions an electrical component in the gap and onto the at least one conductive strand, in which the control circuitry controls the interlacing equipment to continue interlacing the first strands and second strands after the insertion tool positions the electrical component in the gap and onto the at least one conductive strand. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the fabric includes a knit fabric and the interlacing equipment includes knitting equipment that knits the first strands and the second strands to form the knit fabric. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the fabric includes a woven fabric and the interlacing equipment includes weaving equipment that weaves the first strands and the second strands to form the woven fabric. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the first strands include first warp strands, the second strands include second warp strands, and the weaving equipment includes warp strand positioning equipment that positions the first warp strands and the second warp strands to create a shed; and weft strand positioning equipment that inserts a weft strand into the shed. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes a support structure on which a portion of the fabric rests, in which the support structure includes dielectric material. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes a hold-down bar that rests on the fabric, in which the control circuitry is configured to adjust a height of at least a portion of the hold-down bar relative to the fabric to accommodate the electrical component. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the hold-down bar has individually controlled portions that can be independently adjusted to different heights. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes a reed through which the warp strands pass, in which the reed moves toward and away from the fabric, and in which the control circuitry is configured to momentarily pause motion of the reed while the insertion tool positions the electrical component in the gap. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes take-down equipment with multiple independently-controlled rollers. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes a laser that ablates an insulating coating on the at least one conductive strand to expose a conductive segment on the at least one conductive strand. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the interlacing equipment includes strand positioning equipment that positions the at least one conductive strand away from the first strands and second strands while the laser ablates the insulating coating on the at least one conductive strand. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes a pyrometer that monitors a temperature of the fabric while the laser ablates the insulating coating on the at least one conductive strand. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the equipment includes a heating tool that reflows solder on the electrical component to attach the electrical component to the conductive segment. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the heating tool includes an inductive heating tool. 
     In accordance with a second embodiment, a method for forming fabric includes removing insulation from first and second strands to expose conductive segments; after removing insulation from the first and second strands, interlacing the first and second strands with other strands to create a cavity; positioning an electrical component in the cavity using an insertion tool and soldering the electrical component to the conductive segments in the cavity; and after inserting the electrical component into the cavity, interlacing the first and second strands with the other strands. 
     In accordance with the second embodiment, removing insulation from the first and second strands includes ablating the insulation using a laser. 
     In accordance with the second embodiment, positioning the electrical component in the cavity includes aligning the first and second strands with respective first and second grooves in the electrical component. 
     In accordance with the second embodiment, positioning the electrical component in the cavity includes sliding the electrical component along the first and second strands until the first and second grooves are aligned with the conductive segments in the cavity. 
     In accordance with the second embodiment, the electrical component includes an encapsulant material and soldering the electrical component to the conductive segments in the pocket includes using an inductive heating tool to reflow solder on the electrical component and melt the encapsulant material. 
     In accordance with a third embodiment, a fabric item includes first and second fabric portions; first and second conductive strands that pass between the first and second fabric portions; an electrical component interposed between the first and second fabric portions, in which the electrical component has a protective structure with first and second grooves and in which the electrical component is coupled to the first and second conductive strands via a first solder connection in the first groove and a second solder connection in the second groove; and an encapsulant material that at least partially encapsulates the first and second solder connections. 
     In accordance with the third embodiment, the encapsulant material includes thermoplastic material having a first melting temperature and the protective structure includes additional thermoplastic material having a second melting temperature that is higher than the first melting temperature. 
     In accordance with the third embodiment, the first and second conductive strands each have a conductive core surrounded by an insulating coating and a portion of the insulating coating has been removed to expose the conductive core on portions of the first and second conductive strands that pass through the first and second grooves. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20200304
Publication Date: 20240227
Grant Date: 20240227
Priority Date: 20190308
Inventors: Chatham, Kyle L
CREWS, KATHRYN P.
Gomes, Didio V.
GRENA, BENJAMIN J.
HOEN, STORRS T.
KEATING, STEVEN J.
KINDLON, DAVID M.
PODHAJNY, DANIEL A.
ROSENBERG, ANDREW L.
SUNSHINE, Daniel D.
UESATO, LIA M.
WALKER, JOSEPH B.
BINDER, FELIX
WENDISCH, BERTRAM
LATTA, Martin
SCHLÄPFER, Ulrich
ROBIN, FRANCK
BAUMANN, MICHAEL
FISCHER, Helen Wächter
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B23K1/0008", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D41/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03J1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03J1/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D04B1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D04B21/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D04C1/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2403/02431", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B23K1/0008", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03J1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D41/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B7/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 69779915