PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11576262-B2
Application Number: US-202117212983-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Fabric-mounted components

Abstract:
Fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may insert an electrical component into the fabric during formation of the fabric. The electrical component may include an electrical device mounted to a substrate and encapsulated by a protective structure. An interconnect structure such as a metal via or printed circuit layers may pass through an opening in the protective structure and may be used to couple a conductive strand to a contact pad on the substrate. The protective structure may be transparent or may include an opening so that light can be detected by or emitted from an optical device on the substrate. The protective structure may be formed using a molding tool that provides the protective structure with grooves or may be molded around a hollow conductive structure to create grooves. An electrical component mounted to the fabric may be embedded within printed circuit layers.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An item, comprising:
 strands that are interlaced to form fabric and that include a conductive strand; and 
 an electrical component mounted to the fabric, wherein the electrical component comprises:
 a substrate having a contact pad; 
 an electrical device mounted to the substrate; 
 a protective structure that encapsulates the electrical device; and 
 an interconnect structure that passes through the protective structure and that electrically couples the conductive strand to the contact pad on the substrate. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The item defined in  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises printed circuit layers. 
     
     
       3. The item defined in  claim 1  wherein the interconnect structure has a recessed upper surface and wherein the conductive strand is soldered to the recessed upper surface. 
     
     
       4. The item defined in  claim 1  wherein the protective structure is molded around the interconnect structure. 
     
     
       5. The item defined in  claim 4  wherein the protective structure comprises thermoplastic. 
     
     
       6. The item defined in  claim 4  wherein the electrical device comprises an optical device and the protective structure comprises an opening through which light is transmitted. 
     
     
       7. The item defined in  claim 4  wherein the electrical device comprises an optical device and the protective structure comprises transparent plastic. 
     
     
       8. The item defined in  claim 1  wherein the electrical device comprises an optical device overlapped by a lens, the electrical component further comprising a grommet surrounding the lens that secures the fabric relative to the lens. 
     
     
       9. The item defined in  claim 1  wherein the interconnect structure is selected from the group consisting of: printed circuit layers and a metal via. 
     
     
       10. The item defined in  claim 1  further comprising an additional electrical component stacked with the electrical component, wherein the protective structure is interposed between the electrical component and the additional electrical component. 
     
     
       11. An electronic component mounted to fabric having a conductive strand, the electronic component comprising:
 a printed circuit substrate having a surface with a contact pad; 
 an electrical device mounted to the printed circuit substrate; 
 a protective structure that encapsulates the electrical device, wherein the protective structure has an opening; and 
 a conductive structure coupled to the contact pad and located in the opening, wherein the conductive strand is located at least partially in the opening and is electrically coupled to the contact pad through the conductive structure. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic component defined in  claim 11  wherein the conductive structure comprises a U-shaped metal structure coupled to the contact pad and having first and second side wall surfaces that line the opening and are perpendicular to the surface. 
     
     
       13. The electronic component defined in  claim 11  wherein the conductive structure comprises a U-shaped metal structure coupled to the contact pad and having first and second side wall surfaces that line the opening and are parallel to the surface. 
     
     
       14. The electronic component defined in  claim 11  further comprising solder that couples the conductive strand to the conductive structure. 
     
     
       15. The electronic component defined in  claim 11  wherein the protective structure comprises thermoplastic. 
     
     
       16. An electronic component mounted to fabric having a conductive strand, the electronic component comprising:
 first printed circuit layers having opposing first and second surfaces and a contact pad, wherein the conductive strand is electrically coupled to the contact pad; 
 an electrical device mounted to the first surface; 
 second printed circuit layers located on the first surface that at least partially surround the electrical device; and 
 third printed circuit layers located on the second printed circuit layers such that the electrical device and the conductive strand are interposed between the third printed circuit layers and the first printed circuit layers. 
 
     
     
       17. The electronic component defined in  claim 16  further comprising encapsulant material that encapsulates the electrical device. 
     
     
       18. The electronic component defined in  claim 16  wherein the third printed circuit layers include third and fourth opposing surfaces and wherein the third surface is attached to the second printed circuit layers and the fourth surface has an additional contact pad. 
     
     
       19. The electronic component defined in  claim 17  wherein the electrical device is located in a gap in the second printed circuit layers and wherein the encapsulant material fills the gap. 
     
     
       20. The electronic component defined in  claim 16  further comprising:
 solder that forms a solder connection between the conductive strand and the contact pad; and 
 encapsulant material that encapsulates the solder connection.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/015,859, filed Apr. 27, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     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 or 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. 
     An electrical component that is mounted to the fabric may include an electrical device mounted to a substrate and encapsulated by a protective structure. An interconnect structure such as a metal via or printed circuit layers may pass through an opening in the protective structure and may be used to couple a conductive strand to a contact pad on the substrate. The protective structure may be transparent or may include an opening so that light can be detected by or emitted from an optical device on the substrate. The protective structure may be formed using a molding tool that provides the protective structure with grooves or may be molded around a hollow conductive structure to create grooves. An electrical component mounted to the fabric may be embedded within printed circuit layers. 
    
    
     
       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 one or more 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 interconnect substrate 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 cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component coupled to conductive strands using interconnect structures that pass through a protective structure in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative interconnect structure such as a metal via in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative interconnect structure formed from one or more printed circuit layers in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component coupled to conductive strands using interconnect structures with recessed surfaces in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  13    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component coupled to conductive strands using interconnect structures and stacked with an additional electrical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  14    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component coupled to conductive strands using interconnect structures and stacked with an optical component in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS.  15 ,  16 , and  17    are cross-sectional side views of an illustrative electrical component in which a protective structure is molded to include grooves for receiving conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  18    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component having contact pads with strand-securing features in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  19    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component coupled to conductive strands via a conductive material such as conductive epoxy in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS.  20 ,  21 , and  22    are cross-sectional side views of an illustrative electrical component in which a protective structure is molded around hollow structures that create top-facing recesses for receiving conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS.  23 ,  24 , and  25    are cross-sectional side views of an illustrative electrical component in which a protective structure is molded around hollow structures that create side-facing recesses for receiving conductive strands in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS.  26 ,  27 ,  28 , and  29    are cross-sectional side views of an illustrative electrical component an electrical device is embedded within printed circuit layers and coupled 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 one or more first layers of fabric  12  and fabric portion  12 - 2  may form one or more second layers 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 , with or without an actual void). 
     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/or 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 . 
     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 sensor 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, energy storage 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  (sometimes referred to as device  28 , electrical device  28 , etc.) 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 substrate  36 . Interposer  36  (sometimes referred to as an interconnect substrate, a printed circuit substrate, etc.) may be a printed circuit, ceramic carrier, or other substrate. The layer(s) forming interconnect substrate  36  may include one or more flexible printed circuit layers such as polyimide layers, one or more layers of rigid printed circuit board material such as fiberglass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4), and/or layers of other materials (e.g., other dielectric materials such as silicone, other elastomeric material, other flexible polymers, etc.). Interconnect substrate  36  may be larger than body  28  or may have other suitable sizes. Interconnect substrate  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 substrate  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. 
     Interconnect substrate  36  may contain signal paths such as metal traces  38 . Metal traces  38  (sometimes referred to as interconnects, signal paths, etc.) may have portions forming contacts such as pads  34  and  40 . Pads  34  and  40  may be formed on the upper surface of interconnect substrate  36 , on the lower surface of interconnect substrate  36 , and/or on the sides of interconnect substrate  36 . Conductive material such as conductive material  32  may be used in mounting body  28  to interconnect substrate  36 . Conductive material  32  may be solder (e.g., low temperature solder, high temperature solder, etc.), may be conductive adhesive (isotropic conductive adhesive or anisotropic conductive film), may be formed during welding, and/or may be other conductive material for coupling electrical device pads (body pads) such as pads  30  on body  28  to interconnect substrate pads  34 . Metal traces  38  in substrate  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 substrate  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 strands, 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 interconnect substrate  36 . Protective structure  130  may, for example, be a plastic structure that completely or partially encapsulates devices  28  and interconnect substrate  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, insert molded plastic, transfer molded plastic, low-pressure molded plastic, two-part molded plastic, etc.) that has been molded over one or more devices  28  and substrate  36  or that is molded into the desired shape and subsequently attached to substrate  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 substrate  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, thermoplastic, 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 substrate  36  (e.g., may completely or partially surround substrate  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 . If desired, one or more openings, recesses, grooves, and/or other features may be formed in protective structure  130 . For example, an opening may be formed in protective structure  130  to allow light to be detected by and/or emitted from one or more devices  28 . Protective structure  130  may include one or more grooves for receiving strands (e.g., conductive or insulating strands) in fabric  12 . 
     Protective structure  130  may, if desired, have different thicknesses. The example of  FIG.  7    in which protective structure  130  has uniform thickness across substrate  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 . Protective structure  130  may include one or more different types of materials, if desired (e.g., one or more different thermoplastic materials with different melting temperatures). 
     If desired, substrate  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 substrate such as substrate  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 substrate  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 substrate, electrical component  26  may include any suitable combination of electrical devices (e.g., light-emitting diodes, sensors, integrated circuits, actuators, energy storage devices, 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 substrate  36  are merely illustrative. If desired, devices  28  may be mounted to both sides of substrate  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 signals, 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 . 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. If desired, component  26  may also or instead be coupled to insulating strands in fabric  12 . 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 pads  40 . Conductive material  82  may be used to couple pads  40  to conductive strands  80 C. Conductive material  82  may be solder, anisotropic conductive adhesive, or other conductive material. Arrangements in which conductive material  82  is formed from solder may sometimes be described herein as an illustrative example. In the example of  FIG.  8   , pads  40  are formed on the same surface of substrate  36  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 also or instead be additionally formed on the lower surface of substrate  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  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, one or more strands  80  may be threaded through a portion of component  26  to help secure component  26  to fabric  12 . Strands  80  may be threaded through openings (sometimes referred to as recesses, trenches, grooves, holes, slots, notches, etc.) of component  26 . The openings may be formed in device  28 , interconnect substrate  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 interconnect substrate  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 recesses, trenches, openings, holes, slots, notches, 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, insert molding, etc.) 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, grooves  50  may have different depths (e.g., to expose contact pads  40  that are located at different surface heights of interconnect substrate  36 ). 
     In the example of  FIG.  8   , grooves  50  expose conductive pads  40  on interconnect substrate  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 substrate  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, for example. 
     Each strand  80 C may align with an associated pad  40  on component  26 . If desired, pads  40  may formed from elongated strips of conductive material (e.g., metal) that extend from one edge of substrate  36  to an opposing edge of substrate  36 . This provides a large area with which to form a mechanical and electrical connection between substrate  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 substrate  36 , thereby providing a robust connection between substrate  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 . 
     The example of  FIG.  8    in which strands  80 C are soldered or otherwise electrically attached to pads  40  in grooves  50  is merely illustrative. If desired, strands  80 C may be electrically coupled to pads  40  using interconnect structures that pass through protective structure  130 . This type of example is illustrated in  FIG.  9   . 
     In the example of  FIG.  9   , electrical component  26  includes one or more devices such as devices  28 A and  28 B on interconnect substrate  36 . Devices  28 A and  28 B may, if desired, be mounted to opposing sides of interconnect substrate  36 . Device  28 A may be encapsulated by a first protective structure  130 A on a first side of substrate  36 , and device  28 B may be encapsulated by a second protective structure  130 B on a second side of substrate  36 . 
     Devices  28 A and  28 B may be the same type of device or may be different types of devices. If desired one or both of devices  28 A and  28 B may be an optical device (e.g., a light-emitting device, a light-sensing device, etc.). In arrangements where device  28 A and/or device  28 B is an optical device, protective structure  130 A and/or transparent  130 B may be configured to allow light to reach or be emitted from device  28 A and/or  28 B. For example, in arrangements where device  28 B is an optical component, protective structure  130 B may have an opening such as opening  44  through which light reaches and is sensed by device  28 B and/or through which light is emitted from device  28 B. In arrangements where device  28 A is an optical component, protective structure  130 A may be formed from a transparent material that allows light to reach and be sensed by device  28 A and/or through which light is emitted from device  28 A. This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, devices  28 A and  28 B may be devices that do not detect or emit light. 
     As shown in  FIG.  9   , component  26  may include one or more interconnect structures such as interconnect structures  46  for coupling conductive strands  80 C to pads  40 . Interconnect structures  46  may have a first end that forms or is coupled to pad  48  and a second opposing end coupled to pad  40  on substrate  36 . Conductive strands  80 C may be coupled to pads  48  using solder or other conductive material  82 . An encapsulation layer such as encapsulation film  42  (e.g., thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials) may cover the electrical connections between strands  80 C and pads  48 , if desired. With this type of configuration, electrical signals may be conveyed between strands  80 C and device  28 A and/or device  28 B using vertical interconnect structures  46  that pass through protective structure  130 A. If desired, one or more vertical interconnect structures may also or instead be formed in protective structure  130 B. The example of  FIG.  9    is merely illustrative. 
     In some arrangements, grooves  50  may be formed by removing material from protective structure  130 A. In other arrangements, it may be desirable to mold protective structure  130 A to include grooves  50  to eliminate the need for a subsequent groove-forming step. With this type of arrangement, interconnect structures  46  may be mounted to pads  40  on substrate  36  (e.g., using a pick-and-place machine or other suitable surface mount technology) before protective structure  130 A is formed. After interconnect structures  46  have been mounted to pads  40  on substrate  36 , protective structure  130 A may be molded over substrate  36  and device  28 A, leaving pads  48  at the upper surface of interconnect structures  46  exposed. Following molding of protective structure  130 A, solder  82  (e.g., solder paste, pre-apply solder, or preform solder) may be deposited on pads  48 . Conductive strands  80 C may be placed on solder  82  (e.g., during interlacing operations as described in connection with  FIG.  4   ) and solder  82  may be reflowed. Upon reflow of solder  82 , conductive strands  80 C may sink down into solder  82 , thereby forming a robust electrical connection between strands  80 C and component  26 . Encapsulation film  42  may then be deposited or otherwise formed on protective structure  130 A to encapsulate the solder connections between strands  80 C and pads  48 . 
     Interconnect structures  46  may include vertical conductive structures such as plated metal vias and/or metal-filled vias, may be formed from printed circuit layers (e.g., one or more dielectric layers with metal traces or other interconnects), may be formed from conductive epoxy (e.g., conductive adhesive), and/or may be formed from any other suitable conductive material. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG.  10   , interconnect structures  46  may include a conductive via such as metal via  68 . Metal via  68  may include metal material located in a vertical opening such as opening  74  in dielectric material  78 . Via  68  may be a metal-filled via in which metal  68  fills opening  74  or may be a metal-plated via in which metal  68  lines the walls of opening  74 . 
       FIG.  11    shows an example in which interconnect structure  46  is formed from printed circuit layers. For example, interconnect structure  46  may include one or more printed circuit layers  70 . Printed circuit layer(s)  70  may include flexible printed circuit layers such as polyimide layers, layers of rigid printed circuit board material such as fiberglass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4), and/or other layers of polymer (or other dielectric). Metal traces  72  (e.g., interconnects) that are formed in printed circuit layers  70  may carry signals between the opposing upper and lower surfaces of interconnect substrate  46  (e.g., between pads  48  and  40  of  FIG.  9   ). The examples of  FIGS.  10  and  11    are merely illustrative, however. If desired, interconnect structures  46  may include any other suitable type of conductive pathway for conveying signals between pads  40  on substrate  36  and strands  80 C (e.g., through protective structure  130 A). 
     If desired, the upper surface of interconnect structure  46  may be provided with a recess to help maintain strands  80 C in place on pads  48 . This type of arrangement is illustrated in  FIG.  12   . As shown in  FIG.  12   , the upper surface of interconnect structure  46  such as upper surface  168  may include a recess (e.g., a slot, groove, etc.) for receiving strands  80 C. Upper surface  168  of interconnect structure  46  may be non-planar (as shown in the example of  FIG.  12   ), or may be planar but include a recessed portion that helps maintain conductive strands in place on pads  48 . 
     If desired, additional components may be stacked on top of protective structure  130 A. As shown in  FIG.  13   , for example, electrical component  26  may include stacked electrical components  26 - 1  and  26 - 2 . Electrical component  26 - 1  may include devices  28 A and  28 B mounted to interconnect substrate  36  and covered with protective structures  130 A and  130 B, respectively. Interconnect structures  46  may be used to convey signals between conductive strands  80 C at the top of protective structure  130 A and substrate  36 . 
     If desired, upper surface  168  of interconnect structures  46  may be recessed relative to the surrounding portions of protective structure  130 A, thereby reducing the amount by which the solder connections between strands  80 C and pads  48  protrude from the upper surface of protective structure  130 A (e.g., providing a flat or nearly flat surface at the top of protective structure  130 A). One or more additional components such as additional component  26 - 2  may be mounted to the upper surface of protective structure  130 A (e.g., using a pick-and-place machine or other suitable surface mount technology). 
     Additional component  26 - 2  may include one or more electrical devices  56  on an interconnect substrate such as substrate  62 . Devices  56  may include any suitable type of electrical device (e.g., any of the electrical devices described in connection with  FIG.  5   ). Electrical component  26 - 2  may, for example, be an energy storage device (e.g., a battery) for storing power that may be provided to devices  28 A and/or  28 B, may include wireless charging circuitry (e.g., a coil and rectifier for receiving wirelessly transmitted power from a wireless power transmitting device that has a corresponding wireless power transmitting circuit with a coil) for receiving wireless power that may be provided to devices  28 A and/or  28 B, and/or may include other circuitry associated or not associated with the operation of devices  28 A and  28 B. 
     Metal traces  64  in substrate  62  may be used to convey electrical signals between devices  56  and electrical pads on the lower surface of substrate  62 . An encapsulation structure such as encapsulant  162  may encapsulate component  26 - 2 . Attachment structures such as attachment structure  60  may be used to couple component  26 - 1  to component  26 - 2 . If desired, attachment structure  60  may be a conductive material such as solder or conductive adhesive and may electrically couple component  26 - 2  to strands  80 C. In other arrangements, component  26 - 2  may be electrically insulated from strands  80 C and coupled to other conductive structures in component  26  and/or item  10 . 
       FIG.  14    shows an illustrative example in which device  28 B is an optical component that receives or transmits light through a lens. As shown in  FIG.  14   , electrical component  26  may include devices  28 A and  28 B mounted to opposing sides of interconnect substrate  36  and covered with protective structures  130 A and  130 B, respectively. Conductive strands  80 C may be soldered to the top of protective structure  130 A and substrate  36 . Interconnect structures  46 A may be used to convey signals between conductive strands  80 C and substrate  36 . 
     Device  28 B may be an optical component that emits and/or receives light through lens  88 . Lens  88  may be mounted to device  28 B using support structures  90 . A reinforcement structure such as ring-shaped reinforcement structure  86  (e.g., a grommet or other ring-shaped reinforcement structure) may surround lens  88  and may be used to hold fabric  12  in place around lens  88 . 
     If desired, interconnect structures  46 B may pass through protective structure  130 B to provide a signal path between substrate  36  and the lower surface of protective structure  130 B. For example, additional conductive strands may be soldered to interconnect structures  46 B using solder or other conductive material  84 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, interconnect structures  46 B may be coupled to other conductive signal paths in item  10  or may be omitted. 
     If desired, protective structure  130  may be molded using a molding tool that creates grooves in the protective structure so that a subsequent groove-forming step is not required. This type of example is illustrated in  FIGS.  15 ,  16 , and  17   , which show component  26  at various stages of manufacturing. As shown in  FIG.  15   , protective structure  130  may be molded onto substrate  36 . The molding tool used to form protective structure  130  may be configured to create grooves  50  in protective structure  130 . When component  26  is removed from the molding tool, grooves  50  may leave pads  40  exposed. 
     After forming protective structure  130  on substrate  36 , conductive strands  80 C and solder  82  (e.g., solder paste, pre-apply solder, or preform solder) may be placed within grooves  50 , as shown in  FIG.  16   . This may include, for example, dispensing solder  82  in grooves  50  and using insertion tool  54  ( FIG.  4   ) to align conductive strands  80 C within grooves  50  during interlacing operations. 
     After receiving solder  82  and strands  80 C in grooves  50 , a heating tool may be used to reflow solder  82 , as shown in  FIG.  17   . During solder reflow operations, conductive strands  80 C may sink down into conductive material  82 . Following solder reflow, an encapsulant dispensing tool may be used to dispense encapsulant material  116  into grooves  50  to encapsulate the solder connection between strands  80 C and substrate  36 . 
       FIG.  18    shows an illustrative example in which strands  80 C are coupled to pads that are not located in grooves in a protective structure. Substrate  36  may have first and second opposing surfaces. One or more devices such as device  28  may be mounted to one or both surfaces of substrate  36 . Pads  94  may be located on one or both sides of substrate  36 . In the example of  FIG.  18   , device  28  is located on a first side of substrate  36  and pads  94  are located on a second opposing side of substrate  36 . Device  28 A may be covered with protective structure  130 A. Strands  80 C may be coupled to pads  94  using solder or other conductive material  82 . After strands  80 C are soldered or otherwise electrically coupled to pads  84 , protective structure  130 B may, if desired, be molded or otherwise formed over the solder connections between strands  80 C and pads  94 . To help secure strands  80 C on pads  94  during solder reflow operations, a securing structure such as clamp  92  may be formed on pads  94 . During interlacing operations, insertion tool  54  may be used to align component  26  with strands  80 C such that strands  80 C are received within clamps  92  on pads  94  before solder  82  is reflowed and protective structure  130 B is formed. 
       FIG.  19    shows an illustrative example in which strands  80 C are coupled to pads  40  using a conductive epoxy such as conductive epoxy  96  (e.g., a heat-cured conductive epoxy, ultraviolet-light-cured conductive epoxy, or other suitable conductive epoxy). Using a conductive epoxy may reduce the amount of surface area needed to create an electrical connection between strands  80 C and pads  40 . Before coupling strands  80 C to pads  40 , protective structure  130  may be molded or otherwise formed on surface  130 . Grooves  50  may be formed my removing material from protective structure  130  after molding or may be formed by using a molding tool that creates grooves  50  in protective structure  130 . After forming protective structure  130 , insertion tool  54  may be used to align component  26  with strands  80 C such that strands  80 C are received within grooves  50 . Conductive epoxy  96  may then be deposited in grooves  50  and cured (e.g., using heat, ultraviolet light, or other suitable curing method). 
     If desired, protective structure  130  may be molded around hollow structures to create grooves in the protective structure so that a subsequent groove-forming step is not required. This type of example is illustrated in  FIGS.  20 ,  21 , and  22   , which show component  26  at various stages of manufacturing. 
     As shown in  FIG.  20   , device  28  may be mounted to interconnect substrate  36 . One or more hollow structures such as hollow conductive structures  98  may be coupled to respective pads  40  on substrate  36  (e.g., using solder, conductive adhesive, or other conductive material and/or using other electrical connections such as a welds, crimped metal connections, etc.). 
     Hollow conductive structure  98  may be a metal box or other hollow structure having an interior cavity  102  (e.g., an air-filled cavity). Protective structure  130  may be molded or otherwise formed over substrate  36  around hollow conductive structures  98 . 
     After forming protective structure  130  on substrate  36 , top portions of protective structure  130  and hollow conductive structures  98  may be removed to expose cavities  102  and thereby form open grooves  50  in protective structure  130 , as shown in  FIG.  21   . After removing the top portion of conductive structure  98 , conductive structure  98  may have a U-shape with a first surface attached to pad  40  and first and second side wall surfaces that form a metal lining on groove  50 . The side wall surfaces of conductive structure  98  may be perpendicular to the surface of substrate  36  on which pads  40  are formed. Portions of protective structure  130  and hollow conductive structures  98  may be removed from an upper portion of component  26  by machining, grinding, cutting, or other suitable technique. 
     After removing the upper portion of hollow conductive structures  98  to expose cavities  102 , strands  80 C may be inserted into cavities  102 , as shown in  FIG.  22   . For example, insertion tool  54  may be used to align component  26  with strands  80 C such that strands  80 C are received within grooves  50  and cavities  102 . Solder (or other conductive material)  82  may be deposited into cavities  102  and reflowed to form solder connections between each strand  80 C and a respective one of conductive structures  98 . This in turn electrically couples strands  80 C to pads  40  through conductive structure  98 . 
     If desired, grooves may be formed along one or more sides of component  26  instead of (or in addition to) grooves on the top or bottom surface of component  26 . This type of example is illustrated in  FIGS.  23  and  24   , which show component  26  at various stages of manufacturing. 
     As shown in  FIG.  23   , device  28  may be mounted to interconnect substrate  36 . One or more hollow structures such as hollow conductive structures  98  may be coupled to respective pads  40  on substrate  36  (e.g., using solder, conductive adhesive, or other conductive material and/or using other electrical connections such as a welds, crimped metal connections, etc.). 
     Hollow conductive structure  98  may be a metal box or other hollow structure having an interior cavity  102  (e.g., an air-filled cavity). Protective structure  130  may be molded or otherwise formed over substrate  36  around hollow conductive structures  98 . 
     After forming protective structure  130  on substrate  36 , side portions of protective structure  130  and hollow conductive structures  98  may be removed to expose cavities  102  and thereby form grooves  50  along the sides of protective structure  130 , as shown in  FIG.  24   . After removing the side portions of conductive structure  98 , conductive structure  98  may have a U-shape with a first surface attached to pad  40  and first and second side wall surfaces that form a metal lining on groove  50 . The side wall surfaces of conductive structure  98  may be parallel to the surface of substrate  36  on which pads  40  are formed. Portions of protective structure  130  and hollow conductive structures  98  may be removed from the sides of component  26  by machining, grinding, cutting, or other suitable technique. 
     After removing the side portions of hollow conductive structures  98  to expose cavities  102 , strands  80 C may be inserted into cavities  102 , as shown in  FIG.  24   . For example, insertion tool  54  may be used to align component  26  with strands  80 C such that strands  80 C are received within grooves  50  and cavities  102 . Solder (or other conductive material)  82  may be deposited into cavities  102  and reflowed to form solder connections between each strand  80 C and a respective one of conductive structures  98 . This in turn electrically couples strands  80 C to pads  40  through conductive structure  98 . 
     If desired, conductive structures may be used to form an electrical connector on component  26 . This type of arrangement is illustrated in  FIG.  25   . As shown in  FIG.  25   , multiple conductive structures  104  may be respectively coupled to pads  40  on substrate  36 . Conductive structures  104  may be metal structures separated from one another by gaps  106 . Gaps  106  may form channels for receiving conductive strands. A mating connector with conductive strands may be inserted into channels  106  in direction  108 . The conductive strands  80 C may be guided within channels  106  towards pads  40 . 
     If desired, component  26  may be embedded within printed circuit layers. This type of arrangement is illustrated in  FIGS.  26 ,  27 ,  28 , and  29   , which show component  26  at various stages of manufacturing. 
     As shown in  FIG.  26   , one or more devices  28 , if desired, may be mounted to an upper surface of interconnect substrate  36 - 1 , which may include metal traces  38 - 1 . Pads  110  may be formed on an opposing lower surface of substrate  36 - 1 . 
     After mounting device  28  to substrate  36 - 1 , additional printed circuit layers may be formed around device  28  on substrate  36 - 1 , as shown in  FIG.  27   . Additional printed circuit layers  36 - 2  may include flexible printed circuit layers such as polyimide layers, one or more layers of rigid printed circuit board material such as fiberglass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4), and/or layers of other materials (e.g., other dielectric materials such as silicone, other elastomeric material, other flexible polymers, etc.). Printed circuit layers  36 - 2  may include traces  38 - 2 . 
     After forming printed circuit layers  36 - 2  around device  28  on the upper surface of substrate  36 - 1 , device  28  may be encapsulated, as shown in  FIG.  28   . Encapsulant material  112  (e.g., thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials) may be formed over device  28  and may, if desired, fill the gap between printed circuit layers  36 - 2 . 
       FIG.  29    shows how additional printed circuit layers  36 - 3  may be formed on top of printed circuit layers  36 - 2  and device  28 . Printed circuit layers  36 - 3  may include flexible printed circuit layers such as polyimide layers, one or more layers of rigid printed circuit board material such as fiberglass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4), and/or layers of other materials (e.g., other dielectric materials such as silicone, other elastomeric material, other flexible polymers, etc.). Printed circuit layers  36 - 3  may include traces  38 - 3 . Signals may be conveyed between printed circuit layers  36 - 3  and  36 - 1  using traces  38 - 2  in printed circuit layers  36 - 2 . If desired, additional pads  172  may be formed on the top surface of substrate  36 - 3 . Additional components (e.g., additional components  26 ) may be mounted to pads  172 , if desired. 
     Conductive strands  80 C may be electrically coupled to pads  110  using solder or other conductive material  82 . The solder connections between pads  110  and strands  80 C may be encapsulated using encapsulation material  160  (e.g., thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials). Electrical signals may be conveyed between strands  80 C and device  28  through pads  110  and traces  38 - 1  in substrate  36 - 1 . If desired, electrical signals may be conveyed between strands  80 C (and/or device  28 ) and any additional components mounted to pads  172  through traces  38 - 2  and  38 - 3 . 
     It should be understood that any of the features described in connection with  FIGS.  1 - 29    may be combined with one another in any suitable combination or fashion. For example, clamp  92  of  FIG.  18    may be formed with the interconnect structure arrangement of  FIG.  9   ; an additional stacked electrical component of the type shown in  FIG.  13    may be combined with the molded groove component of  FIG.  17   ; the optical component of  FIG.  14    may include grooves formed using the process shown in  FIGS.  20 ,  21 , and  22   , etc. Electrical connections to strands on one side of an electrical component may be formed using a different method or different features than electrical connections to strands on the opposite side of the electrical component. In general, components  26  may be attached to fabric  12  using any suitable combination of features described in connection with  FIGS.  1 - 29   . 
     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. 
     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: 20210325
Publication Date: 20230207
Grant Date: 20230207
Priority Date: 20200427
Inventors: IBRAHIM KANI, BILAL MOHAMED
GRENA, BENJAMIN J.
KIM, KYUSANG
KINDLON, DAVID M.
LUPO, PIERPAOLO
RENJAN, KISHORE N.
VADEENTAVIDA, MANOJ
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H05K2201/10106", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10151", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/189", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10121", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/49838", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/49811", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/092", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10159", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0298", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/11", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10159", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/16225", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10151", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D15/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10083", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0274", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/0281", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10106", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/186", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10083", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10121", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/189", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L23/5386", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/15174", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10083", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10121", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/186", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10151", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/189", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10159", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0274", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0298", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10106", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 78223188