Warp Knit and Braided Fabrics with Electrical Components

Organization Name

Apple Inc.

Inventor(s)

Andrew L. Rosenberg of Sunnyvale CA (US)

Kathryn P. Crews of Menlo Park CA (US)

Didio V. Gomes of Sunnyvale CA (US)

Benjamin J. Grena of San Francisco CA (US)

Maurice P. May of Sunnyvale CA (US)

Daniel A. Podhajny of Morgan Hill CA (US)

Warp Knit and Braided Fabrics with Electrical Components

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18734475 titled 'Warp Knit and Braided Fabrics with Electrical Components

Original Abstract Submitted

Knitting equipment may be used to form warp knit fabric. The warp knit fabric may be a spacer fabric having a spacer strand that travels back and forth between outer warp knit layers. The spacer fabric may include a pocket for receiving an electrical component. The electrical component may be mounted to an inlaid conductive strand that floats between the outer warp knit layers and that is held in place by the spacer strand. The pocket may be one of multiple pockets in the spacer fabric that are separated from one another by the spacer strand. Braiding equipment may include carriers that braid strands around an electrical component while a tool holds the electrical component in place. A ring may be used to isolate the braiding angle from the carriers to accommodate component insertion. The electrical component may be mounted to an inlaid conductive strand in the braid.