Other

Smartlife Technology Limited

Rosnes Corporation

William Hurley

Tilak Dias

Kimberley Mitcham

Paul Charles William Beatty

Adrian Keith Griffiths

Rajcoomar Baboo Ramgulam

An electronic transducer comprises a knitted structure extendible in two dimensions defined by its courses and wales.

Linear electronic transducer

An electronic transducer comprises a knitted structure extendible in two dimensions defined by its courses and wales. An electro-conductive yarn () defines at least one single course in the structure adjacent non-conductive yarns (), and is to be part of a circuit providing an indication of an electrical characteristic of the yarn. When unextended in either direction, successive loops of the stitches including the electro-conductive yarn are in engagement. Extension of the structure in the course direction separate loops forming the stitches, and extension in the wale direction urges the loops together. The structure can be used in methods of registering extension of the structure in either or both of the course and wale directions.

A non-invasive sensor has a contact membrane () and a cover membrane (), the cover membrane being adapted for extension of a body surface to project the contact membrane against a body surface beneath it. The contact membrane will normally be attached to the cover membrane around its periphery such that at least one of the membranes forms a convex outer surface, and a spacing material () can be interposed between the membranes to achieve this object. The cover membrane may extend over a support element (), with the contact membrane overlaying and spaced from the other face of the support element by spacing material.

Contact sensors

In a method of knitting a garment having a defined axis (A), the knitting layers are formed in a direction parallel to the axis. Pathways () defined by distinctive yarns extending substantially parallel to the axis are incorporated in the knitting process seriatim, each distinctive yarn being knitted into its respective pathway using the same yarn feeder. The distinctive yarns are normally conductive, to provide connections to sensors () located on the garment, and such sensors may themselves be an integral part of the garment fabric.

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Stockport, United Kingdom

William Hurley