PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11668026-B2
Application Number: US-201916415486-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Fabric items with electrical components

Abstract:
A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material. The fabric may include first and second fabric layers that at least partially surround a pocket. Initially, the pocket may be completely enclosed by the first and second layers of fabric. A shim may be placed in the pocket before the pocket is closed. An opening may be formed in the first layer of fabric to expose a conductive strand in the pocket. The shim may prevent the cutting tool from cutting all the way through to the second layer of fabric. After cutting the hole in the first layer of fabric, the shim may be removed and an electrical component may be soldered to the conductive strand in the pocket. A polymer material may be injected into the pocket to encapsulate the electrical component. The polymer material may interlock with the surrounding pocket walls.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fabric-based item comprising:
 a first layer of fabric; 
 a second layer of fabric intertwined with the first layer of fabric, wherein the first and second layers of fabric at least partially surround a pocket; and 
 an electrical component mounted in the pocket, wherein the first layer of fabric has cut edges surrounding an opening that passes through the first layer of fabric without passing through the second layer of fabric, wherein the opening and the cut edges extend over an upper surface of the electrical component. 
 
     
     
       2. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a conductive strand of material that passes through the pocket, wherein the electrical component is mounted to the conductive strand. 
 
     
     
       3. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 2  further comprising:
 an encapsulant in the pocket that encapsulates the electrical component. 
 
     
     
       4. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 3  wherein the encapsulant comprises polymer. 
     
     
       5. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 3  wherein the encapsulant interlocks with the cut edges. 
     
     
       6. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 3  further comprising solder that electrically couples the electrical component to the conductive strand. 
     
     
       7. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 3  wherein the electrical component is selected from the group consisting of: a sensor and a light-emitting diode. 
     
     
       8. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 3  further comprising an additional conductive strand that passes through the pocket, wherein the electrical component comprises a first terminal coupled to the conductive strand and a second terminal coupled to the additional conductive strand. 
     
     
       9. A fabric-based item, comprising:
 a first fabric layer having cut fabric edges that surround an opening; 
 a second fabric layer having a region without openings, wherein the first and second fabric layers are intertwined together and at least partially surround a cavity; and 
 an electrical component mounted to a conductor in the cavity and aligned with the opening, wherein the cut fabric edges extend over the electrical component and wherein the conductor is interposed between the electrical component the region without openings of the second fabric layer. 
 
     
     
       10. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 9  wherein the conductor comprises a conductive strand that passes through the cavity. 
     
     
       11. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 10  further comprising:
 polymer material that fills the cavity and encapsulates the electrical component. 
 
     
     
       12. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 9  wherein the electrical component is selected from the group consisting of: a sensor and a light-emitting diode. 
     
     
       13. The fabric-based item defined in  claim 9  further comprising solder that electrically couples the electrical component to the conductor. 
     
     
       14. An item, comprising:
 first and second fabric layers; 
 a pocket located between the first and second fabric layers; 
 a conductive strand that passes through the pocket; and 
 an electrical component mounted to the conductive strand in the pocket, wherein the first fabric layer has cut edges that define an opening aligned with the electrical component and wherein the cut edges protrude over the electrical component; and 
 an encapsulant in the opening, wherein the encapsulant interlocks with the cut edges. 
 
     
     
       15. The item defined in  claim 14  wherein the encapsulant encapsulates at least part of the electrical component in the pocket. 
     
     
       16. The item defined in  claim 14  wherein the electrical component is soldered to the conductive strand. 
     
     
       17. The item defined in  claim 14  wherein the first and second fabric layers are woven together. 
     
     
       18. The item defined in  claim 14  wherein the encapsulant comprises a thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
       19. The item defined in  claim 14  wherein the electrical component comprises an optical component.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/733,461, filed Sep. 19, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This relates generally to fabric-based items and, more particularly, to fabric-based items with electrical components. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It may be desirable to form bags, furniture, clothing, wearable electronic devices, and other items using fabric. In some arrangements, it may be desirable to incorporate electrical circuitry into fabric. If care is not taken, however, fabric-based items may not offer desired features. For example, fabric-based items may include circuitry that is bulky, heavy, unattractive, and susceptible to damage. 
     SUMMARY 
     A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material. The fabric may include first and second fabric layers that are intertwined to form a pocket. During weaving, a shim may be placed in the pocket before the pocket is closed. After the shim is placed into the pocket, the pocket may be closed. 
     A cutting tool may be used to create an opening in the first layer of fabric to expose a conductive strand in the pocket. The shim may prevent the cutting tool from cutting all the way through to the second layer of fabric. After cutting the hole in the first layer of fabric, the shim may be removed and an electrical component may be soldered to the conductive strand in the pocket. A polymer material may be injected into the pocket to encapsulate the electrical component. The polymer material may interlock with the surrounding pocket walls. 
     In some arrangements, the cutting tool may create openings in the first and second layers of fabric. To create openings with different dimensions or shapes, one or more shims may be used to prevent the cutting tool from cutting all the way through to the other side of the fabric. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of illustrative woven fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a top view of illustrative knit fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of an illustrative fabric-based item in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a diagram of illustrative equipment for forming a fabric-based item in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item having an electrical component mounted in a pocket and having a fabric opening filled with encapsulant in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item having an electrical component mounted in a pocket and having first and second fabric openings filled with encapsulant in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item of the type shown in  FIG.  5    showing how a shim may be placed in a pocket in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item of the type shown in  FIG.  5    showing how a shim may prevent a cutting tool from penetrating through an overlapping fabric layer in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item of the type shown in  FIG.  5    showing how an electrical component may be soldered to a conductive strand in a pocket in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item of the type shown in  FIG.  6    showing how multiple shims may be placed in a pocket in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item of the type shown in  FIG.  6    showing how multiple shims may prevent a cutting tool from penetrating through overlapping fabric layers in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative fabric-based item of the type shown in  FIG.  6    showing how an electrical component may be soldered to a conductive strand in a pocket in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Items may include fabric. A cross-sectional side view of illustrative woven fabric  12  is shown in  FIG.  1   . As shown in  FIG.  1   , fabric  12  may include strands  20  such as warp strands  20 A and weft strands  20 B. In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  1   , fabric  12  has a single layer of woven strands  20 . Multi-layer fabric constructions may be used for fabric  12  if desired. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , fabric  12  may be a knit fabric. In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  2   , fabric  12  has a single layer of knit strands  20  that form horizontally extending rows of interlocking loops (courses  22 ) and vertically extending wales  24 . Other types of knit fabric may be used in item  10 , if desired. 
     An illustrative fabric-based item is shown in  FIG.  3   . Fabric-based 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, a remote control, an embedded system such as a system in which fabric-based item  10  is mounted in a kiosk, in an automobile, airplane, or other vehicle, other electronic equipment, or may be 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, sock, glove, shirt, pants, etc.), or may be any other suitable fabric-based item. 
     Item  10  may include intertwined strands of material that form fabric  12 . 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 in fabric  12  may be single-filament strands (sometimes referred to as fibers or monofilaments), may be yarns or other strands that have been formed by intertwining multiple filaments (multiple monofilaments) of material together, or may be other types of strands (e.g., tubing that carries fluids such as gases or liquids). The strands may include extruded strands such as extruded monofilaments and yarn formed from multiple extruded monofilaments. Monofilaments for fabric  12  may include polymer monofilaments and/or other insulating monofilaments and/or may include bare wires and/or insulated wires. Monofilaments formed from polymer cores with metal coatings and monofilaments formed from three or more layers (cores, intermediate layers, and one or more outer layers each of which may be insulating and/or conductive) may also be used. 
     Yarns in fabric  12  may be formed from polymer, metal, glass, graphite, ceramic, natural materials 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 material. For example, plastic yarns and monofilaments in fabric  12  may be coated with metal to make them conductive. Reflective coatings such as metal coatings may be applied to make yarns and monofilaments reflective. Yarns may be formed from a bundle of bare metal wires or metal wire intertwined with insulating monofilaments (as examples). 
     Strands of material may be intertwined to form fabric  12  using intertwining equipment such as weaving equipment, knitting equipment, or braiding equipment. Intertwined strands may, for example, form woven fabric, knit fabric, braided fabric, etc. Conductive strands and insulating strands may be woven, knit, braided, or otherwise intertwined to form contact pads that can be electrically coupled to conductive structures in item  10  such as the contact pads of an electrical component. The contacts of an electrical component may also be directly coupled to an exposed metal segment along the length of a conductive yarn or monofilament. 
     Conductive and insulating strands may also be woven, knit, or otherwise intertwined to form conductive paths. The conductive paths may be used in forming signal paths (e.g., signal buses, power lines, 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 power signals, 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. 
     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, sensors (e.g., sensors  26 ), light-emitting diodes (see, e.g., light-emitting diodes  28 ), battery  30 , and other components  32  (e.g., controller circuitry for applying currents and/or magnetic fields to materials, and other electrical devices). Control circuitry in circuitry  16  (e.g., control circuitry formed from one or more integrated circuits such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits, digital signal processors, etc.) may be used to control the operation of item  10  by controlling electrically controllable (electrically adjustable) components in circuitry  16  and may be used to support communications with item  18  and/or other devices. 
     Item  10  may interact with additional items such as electronic equipment  18 . Items such as equipment  18  may be attached to item  10  or item  10  and equipment (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-based item that is attached to item  18  (e.g., item  10  and item  18  may be used together to form a fabric-based item such as a wristwatch with a strap). In still other situations, item  10  may be an electronic device (e.g., a wearable device such as a wrist device, clothing, etc.), 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 (e.g., insulated and bare wires) 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 strands that are intertwined using any suitable intertwining 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. With other suitable arrangements, fabric  12  is knit or braided. 
     Fabric-based item  10  may include non-fabric materials (e.g., structures such as structures  14  that are 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 fabric-based item  10  may include one or more layers of material. The layers in item  10  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. 
       FIG.  4    is a diagram of illustrative equipment that may be used in forming fabric-based item  10 . As shown in  FIG.  4   , this equipment may include cutting tools such as cutting equipment  34 . Cutting equipment such as a trimming tool in equipment  34  (e.g., a laser cutting tool, a mechanical cutting tool, or other equipment for cutting yarn) may be used in cutting fabric  12 . For example, a laser processing tool may be used to scan a beam of focused laser light across the surface of fabric  12 , thereby cutting (i.e., cutting by thermal dissociation, ablation, etc.) through portions of fabric  12 . 
     Packaging equipment  36  may include a soldering tool (e.g., a pick and place tool or other equipment for soldering integrated circuits and other components to conductive strands in fabric  12  in item  10 ). Equipment  36  may also include injection molding equipment, an encapsulation tool, or other equipment for molding or otherwise forming desired encapsulation layer structures (mold caps) on circuits  16  of item  10 . Equipment  36  may, for example, include equipment for depositing liquid polymer material that forms a solid encapsulation layer after cooling and/or curing. 
     Intertwining equipment such as tool (equipment)  38  may include equipment such as weaving equipment, knitting equipment, and/or braiding equipment. Tool  38  may be used in forming fabric  12  from strands of material. 
     Additional equipment such as equipment  40  may be used to help form fabric  12 , strands of material for fabric  12  (e.g., strands  20  of  FIGS.  1  and  2   ), circuitry that is coupled to conductive structures in fabric  12 , electrical components, housing structures, and other structures for forming item  10 . Equipment  40  may, for example, include equipment for laminating fabric to layers of plastic, metal, and/or other materials, equipment for coating strands of material and/or for depositing layers of material on fabric  12 , equipment for extruding strands of material, equipment for placing fluid in tubing, equipment for mounting integrated circuits, light-emitting diodes, sensors, buttons, and other electrical circuitry to fabric  12  and/or other portions of item  10 , equipment for inserting structures into fabric  12  during fabrication of fabric  12 , machining equipment for machining parts of item  10 , robotic assembly equipment, and/or other equipment for forming item  10 . The equipment of  FIG.  4    may be used to form strands  20 , to form fabric  12 , to process fabric  12 , to integrate circuitry  16 , fabric  12 , and/or additional structures  14  into item  10 , and/or to perform other fabrication and processing operations on item  10 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component mounted to fabric in item  10  is shown in  FIG.  5   . Electrical components in item  10  such as illustrative electrical component  42  of  FIG.  5    (e.g., an electrical component that forms part of circuitry  16  of  FIG.  3   ) may include discrete electrical components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors, may include connectors, 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  42  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). 
     In the example of  FIG.  5   , component  42  is electrically coupled to one or more conductive strands in fabric  12  such as conductive strand  20 C. Component  42  may have one or more electrical terminals (e.g., protruding leads, planar contacts, etc.) such as pad  44 . Solder or other conductive material  46  may be used to couple pad  44  to conductive strand  20 C. In some arrangements, component  42  may have two or more terminals (e.g., two or more contact pads  44 ) and each terminal may be coupled to a respective conductive strand  20 C in fabric  12 . 
     In some arrangements, it may be desirable to mount components such as component  42  completely or partially within fabric  12  rather than on the outer surface of fabric  12 . As shown in  FIG.  5   , for example, component  42  may be at least partially embedded within fabric  12  by mounting component  42  within a pocket (e.g., a cavity) in fabric  12  such as pocket  54 . Pocket  54  may be formed during weaving operations (or other fabric assembly operations). In particular, intertwining equipment  38  (e.g., weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, or other suitable intertwining equipment) may form pocket  54  by creating a space between two or more layers of fabric  12  (e.g., between upper fabric layer  12 - 1  and lower fabric layer  12 - 2 ). Pocket  54  may help orient component  42  so that solder pads  44  (and solder  46  on pads  44 ) are aligned with respective conductive strands  20 C. During operation of item  10 , conductive strands  20 C may carry signals between component  42  and other circuitry in item  10 . 
     Conductive strands in fabric  12  such as conductive strand  20 C may form part of upper fabric layer  12 - 1 , lower fabric layer  12 - 2 , or other suitable fabric layer in fabric  12 . One or more of conductive strands  20 C may pass through pocket  54 . Component  42  may be mechanically and electrically coupled to the portion of conductive strand  20 C in pocket  54 . Component  42  may be mounted to strand  20 C during weaving operations or after weaving operations. 
     It may be desired to cover component  42  with one or more layers of material. For example, in configurations in which component  42  is sensitive to moisture, it may be desirable to seal component  42  within a waterproof material. In configurations in which component  42  emits light, it may be desirable to cover component  42  with a light-diffusing layer such as a polymer layer including metal oxide particles (e.g., white particles of titanium dioxide), other inorganic particles, organic particles, colored particles, or other light-diffusing particles. Opaque materials and/or materials with other optical, mechanical, and/or electrical properties may also be used to cover some or all of component  42 . 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  5   , a polymer such as polymer  50  has been used to cover and encapsulate component  42 , solder pad  44 , solder  46 , and adjacent portions of conductive strand  20 C, thereby protecting component  42  from moisture and other environmental contaminants. Polymer  50  may be a thermoset or thermoplastic polymer and may sometimes be referred to as a mold cap (e.g., when polymer  50  is formed by molding plastic over component  42 ). If desired, other materials may be used to cover electrical components such as component  42 . For example, polymer  50  may be a light-diffusing material such as a white potting compound (e.g., a polymer with white light scattering particles). Arrangements in which polymer  50  is used to encapsulate and protect electrical component  42  may sometimes be described herein as an illustrative example. 
     With one illustrative arrangement, which is sometimes described herein as an example, pocket  54  may be created using intertwining equipment  38 . Initially, pocket  54  may be free of electrical components and may be fully enclosed by surrounding portions of fabric  12 . After weaving, cutting equipment  34  may be used to cut an opening such as opening  56  in fabric  12  (e.g., in upper layer  12 - 1  of fabric  12 ) to open pocket  54  and expose conductive strands  20 C. After removing the portion of fabric  12  covering pocket  54 , packaging equipment  36  (e.g., a pick-and-place tool, other soldering tool, or other mounting equipment) may be used to solder or otherwise mount component  42  to conductive strand  20 C. Packaging equipment  36  (e.g., an encapsulation tool) may then be used to encapsulate component  42  by injecting polymer  50  into pocket  54 . 
     Polymer  50  may surround component  42 , pad  44 , solder  46 , and portions of conductive strands  20 C. Some of polymer  50  that is injected into pocket  54  may interlock with portions of fabric  12 . For example, fabric  12  may have protruding edges such as edges  52  resulting from cutting opening  56  in fabric  12 . When polymer  50  is injected into pocket  54 , some of polymer  50  may surround (e.g., capture) protruding edges  52  of fabric  12 . Polymer  50  may also interlock with pocket walls  54 W surrounding pocket  54 . This helps provide mechanical strength to the encapsulation provided by polymer  50  when polymer  50  solidifies. 
     In addition to protecting component  42  from moisture and other environmental contaminants, polymer  50  may be used to provide strain relief to conductive strands such as conductive strands  20 C. In particular, polymer  50  may surround portions of conductive strands  20 C in pocket  54 , thereby keeping strands  20 C separate from one another and helping to prevent component  42  from breaking off of conductive strands  20 C. 
     In some arrangements, fabric  12  may be a stretchable fabric (e.g., for forming a wrist strap or other strap that is worn on a user&#39;s body). Stretchable fabrics may be stretched during weaving and may be stretched repeatedly during use. The presence of polymer  50  around conductive strands  20 C and component  42  may help prevent conductive strands  20 C and component  42  from being damaged when fabric  12  is stretched. 
     If desired, openings may be formed in fabric  12  on opposing sides of pocket  54 . This type of arrangement is illustrated in  FIG.  6   . As shown in  FIG.  6   , fabric  12  may have a first opening such as opening  56 A formed in upper layer  12 - 1  of fabric  12  and a second opening such as opening  56 B formed in lower layer  12 - 2  of fabric  12 . If desired, fabric  12  may have one or more layers between upper fabric layer  12 - 1  and lower fabric layer  12 - 2 . 
     Openings  56 A and  56 B may be formed using cutting equipment  34 . Openings  56 A and  56 B may have the same dimensions or may have different dimensions. For example, in arrangements where openings  56 A and  56 B are circular, opening  56 A may have a first diameter D 1  and opening  56 B may have a second diameter D 2 . D 2  may be larger than D 1 , or D 1  may be larger than D 2 . If desired, openings  56 A and  56 B may be non-circular (e.g., may have a square shape, rectangular shape, oval shape, or any other suitable shape) and/or opening  56 A may have a different shape from opening  56 B. 
     Cutting openings  56 A and  56 B in fabric  12  may result in upper protruding edges  52 A and lower protruding edges  52 B. Polymer material  50  may extend up and over protruding edges  52 A and  52 B, thereby interlocking with fabric  12 . Polymer material  50  may also interlock with fabric walls  54 W surrounding pocket  54 . 
     As in the example of  FIG.  5   , polymer  50  of  FIG.  6    may be used to provide environmental protection for component  42 , may be used to provide strain relief to conductive strands such as conductive strands  20 C, may be used to keep strands  20 C separate from one another, may help prevent component  42  from breaking off of conductive strands  20 C, and may help prevent conductive strands  20 C and component  42  from being damaged when fabric  12  is stretched. 
     It can be challenging to mount components such as component  42  in fabric. If care is not taken, the fabric may be bulky or aesthetically unappealing, and/or the component may be susceptible to falling off or becoming damaged. 
       FIGS.  7 - 12    illustrate various steps that may be taken during manufacturing to ensure that component  42  may be securely and discretely mounted in fabric  12 .  FIGS.  7 - 9    show illustrative steps involved in forming item  10  of  FIG.  5   .  FIGS.  10 - 12    show illustrative steps involved in forming item  10  of  FIG.  6   . 
     As shown in  FIG.  7   , intertwining equipment  38  may be used to form fabric  12  having a pocket such as pocket  54 . Pocket  54  may be formed by creating a gap between first and second layers of fabric  12  such as layers  12 - 1  and  12 - 2 . Pocket  54  may be fully enclosed by surrounding portions of fabric  12 . 
     During weaving, a shim structure such as shim structure  58  may be inserted into pocket  54  before pocket  54  is completely closed up. This may be achieved by leaving the shed (e.g., the separation between upper and lower warp strands) open temporarily while shim  58  is inserted into pocket  54 . After shim  58  is inserted into pocket  54 , equipment  38  may resume weaving by closing up pocket  54  and completing the remaining portions of fabric  12 . 
     Shim  58  may be used as a backstop that prevents laser light or other cutting tools from cutting all the way through fabric  12 . In particular, shim  58  of  FIG.  7    may ensure that laser light or other cutting tools penetrate only through upper fabric layer  12 - 1  and not through lower fabric layer  12 - 2 . Shim  58  may be a thin plate of metal (e.g., brass or other suitable metal), fiber glass, and/or any other suitable material that is capable of absorbing laser light and/or capable of preventing other cutting tools from cutting past shim  58 . When shim  58  is located in pocket  54 , shim  58  may overlap conductive strand  20 C in pocket  54 . 
     After enclosing shim  58  in pocket  54 , cutting equipment may be used to remove a portion of fabric  12  over pocket  54 . This step is shown in  FIG.  8   . As shown in  FIG.  8   , cutting tool  34  (e.g., a laser cutting tool, a die cutting tool, a knife cutting tool, or other suitable cutting tool) may be used to cut opening  56  in upper layer  12 - 1 . If desired, cutting equipment  34  may include a camera and/or other sensor that is used to monitor for location-specific registration elements on strands  20  of fabric  12  (e.g., stitches, marks, magnetic tags, conductive dots, and/or other markers that are incorporated into fabric  12  to delineate the portions of fabric  12  where opening  56  is to be formed). This may enhance cutting accuracy and thereby ensure that opening  56  is precisely in the appropriate location. 
     The presence of shim  58  prevents cutting tool  34  from cutting into lower fabric layer  12 - 2 . For example, in arrangements where cutting tool  34  is a laser, shim  58  may absorb laser light  80  so that it does not penetrate into lower fabric layer  12 - 1 . Laser light  80  may be a beam of focused laser light that is scanned across the surface of fabric  12  to create opening  56  in upper fabric layer  12 - 1 . Opening  56  may expose conductors in pocket  54  such as conductive strand  20 C. Lower fabric layer  12 - 2  may remain intact (e.g., without openings) under shim  58  and pocket  54 . By cutting opening  56  in upper fabric layer  12 - 1 , upper fabric layer  12 - 1  may be left with protruding edges  52 . Protruding edges  52  may surround opening  56 . 
     After forming opening  56  in upper fabric layer  12 - 1 , shim  58  may be removed and component  42  may be mounted in pocket  54 . This step is shown in  FIG.  9   . Packaging equipment  36  of  FIG.  4    (e.g., a pick-and-place tool, other soldering tool, or other mounting equipment) may be used to insert component  42  through opening  56  and solder or otherwise mount component  42  to conductive strand  20 C in pocket  54 . As shown in  FIG.  9   , solder  46  may mechanically and electrically couple pad  44  of component  42  to conductive strand  20 C. Packaging equipment  36  (e.g., an encapsulation tool) may then be used to encapsulate component  42  by injecting polymer  50  into pocket  54 , thereby forming an encapsulated component  42  of the type shown in  FIG.  5   . The use of shim  58  during manufacturing of item  10  may allow for one side of fabric  12  (e.g., the side of fabric  12  formed by lower layer  12 - 2 ) to remain smooth and intact, completely overlapping component  42 . 
       FIGS.  10 - 12    show illustrative steps involved in forming item  10  of  FIG.  6   . 
     As shown in  FIG.  10   , intertwining equipment  38  may be used to form fabric  12  having a pocket such as pocket  54 . Pocket  54  of  FIG.  10    may be formed by creating a gap between first and second layers of fabric  12  such as layers  12 - 1  and  12 - 2 . If desired, there may be additional fabric layers between layers  12 - 1  and  12 - 2 . Pocket  54  may be fully enclosed by surrounding portions of fabric  12 . 
     During weaving, shim structures such as shim structures  58 A and  58 B may be inserted into pocket  54  before pocket  54  is completely closed up. This may be achieved by leaving the shed (e.g., the separation between upper and lower warp strands) open temporarily while shims  58 A and  58 B are inserted into pocket  54 . After shims  58 A and  58 B are inserted into pocket  54 , equipment  38  may resume weaving by closing up pocket  54  and completing the remaining portions of fabric  12 . Shims  58 A and  58 B may be separate shim structures or may be different portions of one structure (e.g., a U-shaped shim structure). 
     Shims  58 A and  58 B may be used as backstops that prevent laser light or other cutting tools from cutting all the way through fabric  12 . In particular, shim  58 A of  FIG.  10    may ensure that laser light or other cutting tools penetrate only through upper fabric layer  12 - 1  and not through lower fabric layer  12 - 2 , whereas shim  58 B of  FIG.  10    may ensure that laser light or other cutting tools penetrate only through lower fabric layer  12 - 2  and not through upper fabric layer  12 - 1 . Shims  58 A and  58 B may be thin plates of metal (e.g., brass or other suitable metal), fiber glass, and/or any other suitable material that is capable of absorbing laser light and/or capable of preventing other cutting tools from cutting past shims  58 A and  58 B. Shims  58 A and  58 B may have the same size or may have different sizes and may be formed from the same material or different materials. When shims  58 A and  58 B are located in pocket  54 , shims  58 A and  58 B may overlap conductive strand  20 C in pocket  54  (e.g., conductive strand  20 C may be interposed between shims  58 A and  58 B). 
     After enclosing shims  58 A and  58 B in pocket  54 , cutting equipment may be used to remove portions of fabric  12  over pocket  54 . This step is shown in  FIG.  11   . As shown in  FIG.  11   , cutting tool  34  (e.g., a laser cutting tool, a die cutting tool, a knife cutting tool, or other suitable cutting tool) may be used to cut opening  56 A in upper layer  12 - 1  and opening  56 B in lower layer  12 - 2 . Openings  56 A and  56 B may be cut at the same time or may be cut at different times. If desired, cutting equipment  34  may include a camera and/or other sensor that is used to monitor for location-specific registration elements on strands  20  of fabric  12  (e.g., stitches, marks, magnetic tags, conductive dots, and/or other markers that are incorporated into fabric  12  to delineate the portions of fabric  12  where openings  56 A and  56 B are to be formed). This may enhance cutting accuracy and thereby ensure that openings  56 A and  56 B are precisely in the appropriate locations. 
     The presence of shim  58 A prevents cutting tool  34  from cutting into lower fabric layer  12 - 2 , and the presence of shim  58 B prevents cutting tool  34  from cutting into upper fabric layer  12 - 1 . For example, in arrangements where cutting tool  34  is a laser, shims  58 A and  58 B may absorb laser light  80  so that it does not penetrate past shims  58 A and  58 B, respectively. Laser light  80  may be a beam of focused laser light that is scanned across the surface of fabric  12  to create opening  56 A in upper fabric layer  12 - 1  and opening  56 B in lower fabric layer  12 - 2 . Openings  56 A and  56 B may expose conductors in pocket  54  such as conductive strand  20 C. The use of shims  58 A and  58 B may allow openings  56 A and  56 B to have different dimensions and/or different cross-sectional shapes. For example, opening  56 A may be round with one set of dimensions, whereas opening  56 B may be rectangular with a different set of dimensions. This is merely illustrative, however. If desired, openings  56 A and  56 B may have the same dimensions and/or cross-sectional shape. 
     After forming opening  56 A in upper fabric layer  12 - 1  and opening  56 B in lower fabric layer  12 - 2 , shims  58 A and  58 B may be removed and component  42  may be mounted in pocket  54 . This step is shown in  FIG.  12   . Packaging equipment  36  of  FIG.  4    (e.g., a pick-and-place tool, other soldering tool, or other mounting equipment) may be used to solder or otherwise mount component  42  to conductive strand  20 C in pocket  54 . As shown in  FIG.  12   , solder  46  may mechanically and electrically couple pad  44  of component  42  to conductive strand  20 C. Packaging equipment  36  (e.g., an encapsulation tool) may then be used to encapsulate component  42  by injecting polymer  50  into pocket  54 , thereby forming an encapsulated component  42  of the type shown in  FIG.  6   . The portion of pocket  54  above component  42  and the portion of pocket  54  below component  42  may be filled with the same or different polymer  50  and/or may be filled with polymer  50  at the same time or at different times. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190517
Publication Date: 20230606
Grant Date: 20230606
Priority Date: 20180919
Inventors: COXETER, PETER F.
Gomes, Didio V.
GRENA, BENJAMIN J.
KEATING, STEVEN J.
KINDLON, DAVID M.
May, Maurice P.
PODHAJNY, DANIEL A.
ROSENBERG, ANDREW L.
SUNSHINE, Daniel D.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/3442", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D02G3/441", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10106", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D02G3/441", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D13/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D11/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/029", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D11/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/029", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10151", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D04B1/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10106", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D04B1/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D15/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/3442", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D10B2401/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/10151", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D11/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D04B1/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/0281", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/34", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D25/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D15/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/284", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/284", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/0281", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/029", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/34", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D03D1/0088", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "D02G3/441", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/038", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 69773809