Woven fabric-based electrical circuits - Part I: Evaluating interconnect methods

In recent years, a new area of research has emerged on textile-based electronics, called electrotextiles. Most of the ongoing research in electrotextiles is driven by the motivation of creating multifunctional fiber assemblies that can sense, actuate, communicate, compute, etc. This paper discusses the development of fabric-based electrical circuits by interlacing conducting and nonconducting threads(2) into woven textile structures. Wired interconnections of different devices attached to the conducting elements of these circuits are made by arranging and weaving conductive threads so that they follow desired electrical circuit designs. In a woven electrically conductive network, routing of electrical signals is achieved by the formation of effective electrical interconnects and disconnects. Resistance welding is identified as one of the most effective means of producing crossover point interconnects and disconnects. Interconnects are evaluated by measuring the DC resistance associated with the crossover points of conducting threads.