The present invention is directed towards a knitted fabric article and method of making the same. The present invention is directed, in particular, towards a knitted fabric article that comprises a contoured conductive region.

Background

Fabric articles comprising sensing components can be designed to interface with a wearer of the article to determine information such as the wearer's heart rate and rate of respiration. The sensing components may comprise electrodes and connection terminals electrically connected together via an electrically conductive pathway. An electronics module (electronics device) for processing and communication can be removably coupled to the connection terminals so as to receive the measurement signals from the electrodes. The fabric articles may be incorporated into or form a wearable article such as a garment.

US 2011/0259368 A1 discloses textile-based electrodes incorporating graduated patterns. The textile-based electrodes include a fabric portion having non-conductive yarns and an electrically conductive region having electrically conductive yarn filaments. The electrodes include float yarns and are configured in a textured or ribbed construction. When incorporated into a garment, the electrodes can be used to monitor biophysical characteristics such as the garment wearer’s heart rate.

This existing approach for forming electrodes incorporating graduated patterns uses a knitting technique known as plating. Plating involves using two yarns at once during the knitting process. This means that the knitted loops are composed of two yarns which usually have different properties. In US 2011/0259368, one of the yarns is conductive. The introduction of the conductive yarn is delayed causing it to appear on the technical face of a given loop giving it an appearance similar to printing.

A problem with the approach of US 2011/0259368 is that plating techniques have limited applications and are only useable with single thickness fabrics such as single bed or jersey fabrics.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide improved knitted fabric articles comprising contoured conductive regions and methods for making the same.

Summary According to the present disclosure there is provided a fabric article and method of making the same as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of knitting a fabric article. The method comprises knitting part of a base component, the knitting comprising knitting a first plurality of courses of yarn using a knitting technique that forms a first peak or valley in the base component. The method comprises knitting at least one course of conductive yarn to form a conductive region that is connected to and follows the peak or valley in the base component. The at least one course of conductive yarn may form a contoured outer edge of the conductive region.

Advantageously, the present disclosure provides a method of knitting a fabric article that forms a conductive region that follows a peak or valley in the base component. This means that the conductive region has an outer, contoured, edge that does not extend parallel a course direction of the base component. Instead, the at least one course of conductive yarn follows a path defined by the peak or valley in the base component.

The method enables the conductive region to adopt any desired contoured shape such as to follow a contour of a body part or navigate around an obstacle such as a seam. Contoured regions may also be beneficial in lessening needle wear, needle breakage and needle misalignment. The conductive region is formed by forming a peak or valley in the base component that is non-parallel to the course direction for the base component. The contour is then followed by the conductive yarn. A plating based technique is not used, and thus greater flexibility in the type of fabric and conductive region is provided. The knitting techniques can be used on any thickness of fabric such as double-knit or triple-knit fabrics.

The knitting technique may comprise increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more of the courses. The knitting technique may comprise increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more successive courses although the length of directly adjacent courses are not required to vary in all instances. One or more adjacent courses may have different lengths to cause the peak or valley to be formed in the base component. The desired shape of the peak or valley can be selected by defining how the length of successively knit courses are going to be increased, decreased, or remain the same. Any desired shape of peak or valley may be formed such as curved, angular, or V-shaped. The knitting technique may comprise a Flechage knitting technique.

The knitting technique may comprise linearly increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more of the courses. The knitting technique may comprise non-linearly increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more of the courses. Advantageously, non-linearly varying the length of one or more of the courses enables a curved peak or valley to be formed. This enables curved conductive regions to be formed.

A combination of linearly varying and non-linearly varying knitting techniques may be used to form the peak or valley. The first plurality of courses of yarn may comprise non-conductive yarn. The base component may be a non-conductive base component.

The method may further comprise knitting a further part of the base component. The knitting may comprise knitting a second plurality of courses of yarn. The base component may be connected to and may surround the conductive region. That is, opposed edges of the conductive region may be connected to the base component.

The contoured outer edge of the conductive region may be a first contoured outer edge of the conductive region. The first contoured outer edge may be connected to the first peak or valley in the base component. The conductive region may further comprise a second contoured outer edge that is connected to the further part of the base component.

The second plurality of courses of yarn may be knit using a knitting technique that forms a second peak or valley in the base component.

The conductive region may be connected to the second peak or valley formed in the base component.

The contoured outer edge of the conductive region may be a first contoured outer edge of the conductive region. The first contoured outer edge may be connected to the first peak or valley in the base component. The conductive region may further comprise a second contoured outer edge that is connected to the second peak or valley formed in the base component.

The knitting technique used to knit the second peak or valley may comprise increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more of the courses.

The knitting technique may comprise linearly increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more of the courses. The knitting technique may comprise non-linearly increasing and/or decreasing the length of one or more of the courses.

A combination of linearly varying and non-linearly varying knitting techniques may be used to form the peak or valley.

The second plurality of courses of yarn may comprise non-conductive yarn.

The contoured outer edge may be shaped to follow the contour of a body part of a wearer of the fabric article.

The conductive region may form an electrode suitable for use in monitoring activity at a body surface of a wearer of the fabric article.

The conductive region may form a connection region suitable for connecting with a further component such as an electronics module for a wearable article.

The conductive region may form a conductive pathway.

Knitting the at least one course of conductive yarn may comprises knitting a plurality of courses of conductive yarn.

The plurality of courses of conductive yarn may be knit so as to cause the conductive region to form a three-dimensional conductive region that extends away from the base component to form a raised outer surface. This may comprise using a reduced number of needles on one of the needle-beds compared to another needle-bed of the knitting machine so as to cause the knit conductive region to bunch up and extend away from the base component. For example, only odd or even needles may be used on one of the needle beds while both odd and even needles are used on another of the needle beds.

The method may further comprise introducing a filler material into the conductive region. This may comprise knitting a filler yarn such as an expanding yarn into the conductive region. The knitting operation may comprise using tuck knits.

The base component and conductive region may form a continuous body of knitted fabric.

The conductive region may have a working surface aligned with or extending from a first surface of the base component. The method may comprise knitting at least one course of conductive yarn to form a second conductive region. The second conductive region may have a working surface that is aligned with or extends from a second surface of the base component opposing the first surface. Here, working surface means surface that is arranged to contact a further object such as a skin surface or an electronics module. The method may further comprise forming a conductive pathway extending between and electrically connecting the first conductive region to the second conductive region.

The first peak or valley in the base component may be a valley and the second peak or valley in the base component may be a valley.

The first peak or valley in the base component may be a peak and the second peak or valley in the base component may be a peak.

The first peak or valley in the base component may be a peak and the second peak or valley in the base component may be a valley.

The first peak or valley in the base component may be a valley and the second peak or valley in the base component may be a peak

The contoured outer edge may have an arcuate profile. The at least one contoured outer edge may be shaped to follow the contour of a body part of a wearer of the fabric article. The conductive region may comprise at least two contoured outer edges. The two contoured outer edges may have arcuate profiles.

The base component and conductive region may form a continuous body of knitted fabric.

The method may further comprise introducing a filler material into the conductive region.

The fabric article may be manufactured using a knitting machine comprising a first bed of needles and a second bed of needles. The knitting machine may be a flat bed knitting machine. The fabric article may be knitted using knitting operations performed by the first bed and the second bed of the knitting machine. The fabric article may be knitted using both the first bed and second bed of the knitting machine operating simultaneously in some regions and operating separately in other regions. Some regions may be knitted using only one of the first bed and the second bed.

The base component may comprise a plurality of knit layers. The method may comprise knitting, using one or both of the first and second beds, a plurality of courses of yarn to form the base component. The base component may be a double-knit base component. The double-knit base component may be formed by operating the first and second needle-beds simultaneously. According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for carrying out a method of knitting a fabric article using a knitting machine. The method comprises: instructing selected needles of the knitting machine to knit part of a base component, wherein the knitting comprises knitting a first plurality of courses of yarn using a knitting technique that forms a first peak or valley in the base component; and instructing selected needles of the knitting machine to knit at least one course of conductive yarn to form a conductive region that is connected to and follows the peak or valley in the base component. The at least one course of conductive yarn may form a contoured outer edge of the conductive region.

The method may be the method of the first aspect of the disclosure.

According to a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a fabric article comprising: a knitted base component comprising a plurality of courses of yarn; and a knitted conductive region attached to the knitted base component, wherein the conductive region comprises at least one course of conductive yarn that follows a peak or valley in the base component. The at least one course of conductive yarn may form a contoured outer edge of the conductive region. The base component may comprise a plurality of knit layers.

The conductive region may cover a void in the base component.

The conductive region may be a three-dimensional conductive region that extends away from a surface of the base component.

The fabric article is preferably a weft knitted article.

The fabric article may be a unitary knitted structure.

The fabric article may be a wearable article. The fabric article may be a garment.

The fabric article may be arranged to be integrated into a wearable article, optionally a garment. The fabric article may be arranged to be stitched, bonded or otherwise adhered to the wearable article.

According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a fabric article comprising: a knitted base component comprising a plurality of courses of yarn, at least some of the plurality of courses of yarn extend parallel to one another along a course direction; and a knitted conductive region attached to the knitted base component, wherein the conductive region comprises at least one course of conductive yarn that extends along a direction other than the course direction to form a contoured outer edge of the conductive region. The fabric article may comprise any of the features of the third aspect of the disclosure.

According to a fifth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a fabric article comprising: a knitted base component comprising a plurality of courses of yarn, at least some of the plurality of courses of yarn extend parallel to one another along a course direction; and a knitted sensing component formed from conductive yarn, the knitted sensing component comprising: an electrode; a connection terminal; and a conductive pathway electrically connecting the electrode to the connection terminal, wherein at least one of the electrode, connection terminal and conductive pathway comprise at least one course of conductive yarn that that extends along a direction other than the course direction to form a contoured outer edge.

The fabric article may comprise any of the features of the third aspect of the disclosure.

According to a sixth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of knitting a fabric article. The method comprises knitting part of a base component. The method comprises knitting at least one course of conductive yarn to form a contoured outer edge of a conductive region. The method may comprise any of the features of the first aspect of the disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings Examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an example knitting sequence according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 shows a fabric article made according to the knitting sequence of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 shows a continuation of the knitting sequence of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows a fabric article made according to the knitting sequence of Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows a continuation of the knitting sequence of Figure 3;

Figure 6 shows a fabric article made according to the knitting sequence of Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows another example fabric article according aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 8 shows part of a knitting sequence used to make the fabric article of Figure 7.

Figure 9 shows another example knitting sequence according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 10 shows a fabric article made according to the knitting sequence of Figure 9; Figure 11 shows another example fabric article according aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 12 shows another example fabric article according aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 13 shows a front surface of another example fabric article according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 14 shows a side view of the fabric article of Figure 13;

Figure 15 shows a back surface of the fabric article of Figure 13;

Figure 16 shows a wearable assembly comprising the fabric article of Figure 13;

Figure 17 shows another example fabric article according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 18 shows a flow diagram for an example method according to aspects of the present disclosure; and

Figure 19 shows a flow diagram for another example method according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and notforthe purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The present disclosure relates to fabric articles. The terms fabric and textile are used interchangeably and are not intended to convey different meanings. The fabric articles may form or be incorporated into a wearable article. “Wearable article” as referred to throughout the present disclosure may refer to any form of article which may be worn by a user such as a smart watch, necklace, bracelet, or glasses. The wearable article may be a garment. The garment may refer to an item of clothing or apparel. The garment may be a top. The top may be a shirt, t-shirt, blouse, sweater, jacket/coat, or vest. The garment may be a dress, brassiere, shorts, pants, arm or leg sleeve, vest, jacket/coat, glove, armband, underwear, headband, hat/cap, collar, wristband, stocking, sock, or shoe, athletic clothing, personal protective equipment, swimwear, wetsuit or drysuit

The garment may be a tight-fitting garment. Beneficially, a tight-fitting garment helps ensure that the sensor devices of the garment are held in contact with or in the proximity of a skin surface of the wearer. The garment may be a compression garment. The garment may be an athletic garment such as an elastomeric athletic garment.

The fabric articles may be constructed from natural fibres, synthetic fibres, or a natural fibre blended with one or more other materials which can be natural or synthetic. The yarn may be cotton. The cotton may be blended with polyester and/or viscose and/or polyamide according to the particular application. Silk may also be used as the natural fibre. Cellulose, wool, hemp and jute are also natural fibres that may be used in the wearable article. Polyester, polycotton, nylon and viscose are synthetic fibres that may be used in the wearable article.

The fabric articles according to the present disclosure comprise knitted fabric. This contrasts with other fabric constructions such as woven fabrics. Woven and knitted fabrics differ in the way yarns are interwoven or knotted together. A woven fabric is created by interweaving pretensioned lengths of yarn horizontally in between threads running vertically. These vertical, or warp threads, wrap themselves around the horizontal, or weft thread, after every course, and are themselves pre-tensioned.

During the manufacture of a woven fabric, all of the yarns running in every direction must be pulled tight at all times. If the yarns are not tight during knitting, the needles will snag on slacker yarns and break, causing mechanical damage.

Moreover, woven fabrics incorporating conductive yarn are potentially subjected to a change of resistance when stretched apart because, when stretching a woven fabric, the yarns and thus the conductive particles in the yarn will be stretched further apart. This property is undesirable for sensing operations such as for fabric based sensing electrodes.

The present disclosure is directed towards knitted fabrics and, in particular, weft knitted fabrics. In weft knitted fabrics the stitches (or loops) run from left to right horizontally across the fabric. Each horizontal row of stitches is referred to as a course. Weft knitted fabrics can be knit from a single yarn, but in aspects of the present disclosure multiple yarns are used so as to provide different regions of the fabric with different properties. In weft knitted fabrics, a weft thread is pulled through already formed loops of the same thread and is not required taut or under stress from a warp thread. This construction allows for stitches (loops) in the fabric article to deform and alter their shape under stress without stretching the yarn itself. This helps maintain a constant level of electrical resistance.

Warp knitted fabrics are another form of knitted article and can be considered a hybrid between woven and knitted. They are formed using loops, but each column of loops is made from its own thread. Warp knitted threads may allow for more stretch than a woven fabric but are generally not as stretchy as weft knitted fabrics.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, there is shown a sequence of steps in forming a fabric article according to aspects of the present disclosure. These diagrams show the fabric article when viewed from above and show how the knitting of successive courses of yarn cause the fabric article to be formed.

Figure 1 shows a knitting sequence for forming part of the base by knitting a first plurality of courses of yarn 101 - 110. The knitted courses are represented by arrows that show the knitting direction which is either from left to right or right to left along the Y axis. Some of the courses are grouped into pairs with each pair being assigned a common number. For example, the reference number 101 represents two adjacent courses, the first of which is knitted from left to right and the second of which is knitted from right to left. The grouping of courses into pairs is only for ease of illustration.

The knitting sequence starts at the bottom of the diagram and works upwards. Courses 101 are knitting first followed by courses 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, and 110 in sequence. The courses 101-110 extend generally along the Y axis. The knitting of the successive courses causes the fabric article to grow along the X axis so as to increase in width. The courses may all be knit using the same length of yarn carried on a yarn carrier of the knitting machine.

The plurality of courses 101-110 are knit using a knitting technique that forms a valley in the base component. The valley is formed in the X-Y plane. Figure 2 shows the part of the base component 201 formed as a result of the knitting sequence in Figure 1 . The base component 201 has a V-shaped valley 203,

The valley is formed by selectively varying the length of the courses 101-110 used to knit the part of the base component 101. In particular, the courses 102, 103, 104, 105 have a successively shorter length to form the left-hand slope 205 of the V-shaped valley 203. The length of the courses 102, 103, 104, 105 decrease in a generally linear fashion.

The courses 101 , 102, 103, 104, 105 extend parallel to one another along the left-right axis of the resultantly formed fabric article which is labelled as the Y-axis in the drawings. This axis may also be referred to as the course direction.

The knitted course 106 carries the yarn over to the right-hand side of the base component 201 . It will be appreciated that the knitted course 106 will follow the direction of the left-hand slope 205 and thus will not remain aligned with the course direction along the whole of its length.

The courses 107 start at the bottom of the left-hand slope 205. The courses 108, 109, 110 successively decrease in length to form the right-hand slope 207 of the V-shaped valley 201 . The length of the courses 108, 109, 110 decrease in a generally linear fashion.

This knitting technique of increasing / decreasing the width of successive knit courses can be referred to as Flechage knitting or Gore knitting.

Figure 3 shows a continuation of the knitting sequence in Figure 1. A course of conductive yarn 111 is knit from right to left. The course of conductive yarn 111 will follow the contour of the V- shaped valley 203 and thus does not remain aligned with the course direction along the whole of its length. In other words, rather than extending just along the Y-axis, the valley 203 formed in the base component causes the course of conductive yarn 111 to also extend along the X- axis direction following the pattern formed by the outer edge of the part of the base component 201.

Figure 4 shows the resultantly formed fabric article 200 comprising the part of the base component 201 and the conductive region 209 formed from the course of conductive yarn. The conductive region 209 follows the contour of the V-shaped valley 203 formed in the part of the base component 201 , and in particular has a contoured region with a left-slope 211 that is aligned with and connected to the left-slope 205 of the base component 201 and a right-slope 213 that is aligned with and connected to the right slope 207 of the base component 201. The conductive region 209 further has a straight edge 215 that is aligned with the course direction. The conductive region 209 therefore has a contoured region 209 and a straight region 215.

Figure 5 shows a continuation of the knitting sequence in Figure 4. A further part of the base component is formed by knitting a second plurality of courses of yarn 112-117. The plurality of courses 112-117 are knit using a knitting technique that forms a peak in the base component. The peak is formed in the X-Y plane. In particular, the course length is successively increased from courses 113 to courses 116 to form the peak. The course length is increased in a generally linear fashion. The knit courses 113 to 116 resemble an inverted triangle shape.

Figure 6 shows the fabric article 200 formed as a result of the knitting sequence in Figure 5. The part of base component 201 has a V-shaped valley 203 formed from the first plurality of courses as explained in relation to Figure 1 , a conductive region 209 that follows the V-shaped valley 203 as explained in relation to Figure 3, and a remaining part of the base component 217 that comprises a V-shaped peak 219 that fills the V-shaped gap left by the valley 203 and conductive region 209 as explained in relation to Figure 5. The parts of the base component 201 , 217 are connected to and surround the conductive region 209.

The conductive region 209 has a first contoured edge 211 , 213 that is connected to the first part of the base component 201 and a second contoured edge 211 , 213 that is connected to the second part of the base component 217. In the example of Figures 1 to 6, the first and second contoured edges 211 , 213 are the same because the conductive region 209 is formed from a single course of conductive yarn.

The base component 201 , 217 and conductive region 209 are integrally knit during a single knitting operation. That is, the base component 201 , 217 and the conductive region 209 form a continuous body of fabric. The fabric article 200 may be knit using a knitting machine such as a flat bed knitting machine. Front and back needle-beds of the flat bed knitting machine may cooperate to knit the fabric article 200.

In some examples, at least part of the base component 201 , 217 is knit using both the front and back needle-beds at the same time. This allows the base component 201 , 217 to form a doubleknit construction.

In some examples, at least part of the conductive region 209 is knit using both the front and back needle-beds at the same time. The at least part of the conductive region 209 may be knit using only one of odd or even needles on one of the needle-beds while using both odd and even needles on the other of the needle-beds. This knitting arrangement helps the conductive region 207 extend away from the base component 201 , 217 along the Z-axis to form a raised, three- dimensional, conductive region 209 especially if a plurality of courses of conductive yarn are knit when forming the conductive region 209. That is, the conductive region 209 may extend out of the X-Y plane to form a raised conductive region 209.

In some examples, at least part of the base component 201 , 217 is knit using an interlocked knitting technique. An example interlocked knitting comprises: knitting a first course of yarn using the even needles on the front needle-bed and the odd needles on the back needle-bed; knitting a second course of yarn using both the odd and even needles on the front and back needle- beds; and knitting a third course of yarn using the odd needles on the front needle-bed and the even needles on the back needle-bed. Of course, the order may be altered such that the odd needles on the front needle-bed and even needles on the back needle-bed are used first. An interlocked technique provides additional stretch for the fabric article 200 and especially helps the fabric article 200 to stretch and return to its original shape.

In some examples, the base component 201 , 217 is knit using non-conductive yarn. The non- conductive yarn may be a composite fabric elastomeric yarn. For example, a composite fabric elastomeric yarn comprising 81% nylon and 19% elastane may be used. Of course, other non- conductive yarns may be used as desired by the skilled person. The base component 201 , 217 may comprise additional yarns which may be incorporated during the knitting of the base component 201 , 217.

In some examples, the conductive yarn used to form the conductive region 209 may be Circuitex ™ conductive yarn from Noble Biomaterials Limited. Of course, other conductive yarns may be used. The conductive yarn may comprise a non-conductive or less conductive base yarn which is coated or embedded with conductive material such as carbon, copper and silver.

The knitting sequence of Figures 1 to 6 forms a conductive region 209 with a contoured region 209 having contoured outer edges 211 ,213. While this example forms a conductive region 209 that forms a V-shape, the knitting techniques provided herein enable the conductive region 209 to adopt any desired contoured shape such as to follow a contour of a body part of navigate around an obstacle such as a seam. The contoured regions may for example follow a non-linear (e.g. curved trajectory). Contoured regions may also be beneficial in lessening needle wear, needle breakage and needle misalignment. The knitting techniques used provide flexibility in terms of the type of fabric to be used and allow for complicated structures such as three- dimensional knit conductive regions to be formed which are not possible on a commercial scale with plating techniques.

The contoured region of the conductive region 209 may form an electrode. The electrode may be arranged to monitor activity at a body surface such as by measuring a biosignal of a wearer of the fabric article 200. A contoured electrode may be beneficial in terms of improving contact with a skin surface of a wearer. In particular, a contoured electrode may follow a contour of a body part of a wearer such as a wearer’s bust to provide improved contact with the skin surface of the wearer and allow the electrode to be positioned closer to a desired body part such as the wearer’s heart. The contoured region of the conductive region 209 may form a conductive pathway. A contoured conductive pathway may be beneficial in terms of allowing the conductive pathway to navigate around seams or other obstacles in the fabric article 200 so as to electrically connect remote objects such as electrodes and removable electronics modules.

The contoured region of the conductive region 209 may form a connection terminal for forming a removable electrical connection with an electronics module. A contoured connection terminal 209 may be beneficial in terms of improving the electrical contact between contacts of the electronics module and the connection terminal.

The knitting techniques described above in relation to Figures 1 to 6 can be adapted to form any desired shape of contoured region. This can be achieved by adjusting how the length of successive knit courses varies when forming the peaks or valleys in the base components 201 , 217. The length of successive knit courses may linearly vary to form a slope as per the example of Figures 1 to 6. The extent by which the length of successive courses vary can be used to change the gradient of the slope. The slope will be defined by a linear function such as f(x) = m*x, where m denotes the gradient.

The length of successive knit courses may non-linearly vary to form a curve. The length of successive knit courses may vary non-linearly. The curve may be defined according to a nonlinear function such as f(x) = (c) ^L 2, which can be used to determine how the length of successive knit courses should vary.

Figure 7 shows an example fabric article 200 where the part of the base component 201 is knitted such that it forms a curved valley 203 with left and right curved edges 205, 207. The curved valley is approximately semi-circular. The conductive region 209 follows the curved valley 203 such that is has a curved contoured region 211 , 213 that is also approximately semi-circular.

In this example, the knitting of the part of the base component 201 involves changing the length of the courses in a non-linear fashion to form a valley 203 that has a curved profile. Figure 8 shows an example knitting sequence for forming the part of the base component 201 . The same notation as used in Figures 1 , 3 and 5 is used to represent the knitted courses. The knitting length knit courses 101 , 102, 103, 104, 105 decreases non-linearly such as to define the curved outer edge 205. The knitting length of courses 107, 108, 109, 110 also decrease non-linearly such as to define curved outer edge 107.

The course of conductive yarn is knit in the same way as shown in Figure 3. The remaining part of the base component 217 is knit in a similar way to that shown in Figure 5, but the length of the courses are varied non-linearly so as to fill the curved valley 203. In this example, the non-linear function f = (c) ^L 2 is used to define how the length of knit courses increase or decreases to form the curved outer edges of the base components 201 , 217. It will be appreciated that different non-linear functions may be used to form different types of outer edges with different profiles.

Figures 9 shows a knitting sequence for forming another example fabric article 200 according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 10 shows the fabric article 200 formed by the sequence shown in Figure 9. These diagrams show the fabric article when viewed from above and show how the knitting of successive courses of yarn cause the fabric article to be formed.

The first part of the base component 201 is knit using the same approach as described in Figure 1 to form a V-shaped valley 203 in the base component 201 .

Rather than knitting one course of conductive yarn, a plurality of courses of conductive yarn 111 , 301 , 302, 303, 305, 307, 308, 309 are knit to form the conductive region 209. The length of the courses 301 , 302, 303, 305 are increased linearly to fill the V-shaped valley 203 formed in the base component 201 . The length of the courses 307, 308, 309 are decreased linearly to form a triangular peak 221 , 213. The conductive region 209 forms a diamond shape. At least some of the courses of conductive yarn are knit using both the front and back needle- beds at the same time. Although only the odd or even needle-beds may be used on one of the front and back needle-beds while both odd and even needle-beds may be used on the other of the front and back needle-beds. This helps to cause the conductive region 209 to extend away from the base component in the direction of the Z-axis to form a raised, three-dimensional, conductive region 209.

In between the courses of conductive yarn, courses of filler yarn 304, 306 are knit. The filler yarn helps the conductive region 309 adopt and maintain the three-dimensional shape. This helps to increase the quality, consistency, and area of contact area. This is particularly beneficial when the conductive region 209 functions as an electrode as it helps ensure contact against the skin surface without requiring the fabric article 200 to provide additional compression such as through additional elastomeric material. The filler yarn maintains the shape of the raised conductive region 209 and protects against deformation, buckle and roll even when they are rubbed against the skin or other surface. Moreover, using a filler yarn means that the process of filling out the conductive region 209 is an intrinsic part of the manufacturing process. The courses of filler yarn are intruded into the conductive region 209. A separate manual process of inserting filler material into already formed conductive regions 209 is not required. The filler yarn is knit using tuck stitches using the same needle-bed that uses only the odd or even needle-beds when knitting the courses of conductive yarn. This means that the filler yarn is attached to the surface of the conductive region 209 which is opposite to the surface that extends away from the base component 201 , 217 to form the raised three-dimensional region. The tuck stitch is used to layer-in the expanding yarn behind the conductive region 209 so that it is not visible from the outside of the fabric article 200.

The filler yarn may comprise an expanding yarn. The expanding yarn may refer to a yarn that expands under the application of an external stimulus such as heat, pressure or steam. Preferably the yarn expands under the application of steam. The expanding yarn may comprise a polyester material. The expanding yarn may be a polyester filament yarn. Beneficially, the use of an expanding yarn means that after the fabric article is constructed, steam (for example) may be applied to cause the yarn to expand and bulk out the shape of the conductive region and provide further stability. As the yarn expands to fill the space between the knit conductive layers, the space between the knit conductive layers does not need to be densely packed with filler yarn. Less yarn is required than if a non-expanding filler yarn were used. The expanding yarn used in this example is a Newlife ™ polyester filament yarn manufactured by Sinterama S.p.A.

The remaining part of the base component 217 is knit to form a V-shaped valley 219 that mirrors the shape of the peak formed in the conductive region 209. The V-shaped valley 219 is formed by linearly increasing the length of courses 310-313 to form a first slope of the valley 219 and linearly increasing the length of courses 315 to 318 to form a second slop of the valley 219.

The resultant fabric article 200 has a diamond-shaped conductive region 209 with two sets of contoured outer edges 211 , 213, 221 , 223. The diamond-shaped conductive region 209 is connected to and surrounded by the base component 201 , 217.

Figures 11 and 12 show other example fabric articles 200 that can be formed using similar knitting techniques to those described in Figure 9. In these examples, the length of the knitted courses for the base components 201 , 217 and conductive regions 209 are varied non-linearly to provide conductive regions 209 with curved outer edges 211 , 213, 221 , 223. The fabric article 200 of Figure 11 has an oval shaped conductive region 209 while the fabric article 200 of Figure 12 has an approximate crescent-shaped conductive region 209.

Figures 13 to 15 show an example fabric article 200 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

The fabric article 200 is an elongate and narrow strip of material. The fabric article 200 is able to be worn so as to obtain measurement signals from the wearer. The fabric article 200 may be used to form a chest strap or wrist strap or may be integrated into a separate wearable article such as a garment. The fabric article 200 may be adhesively bonded to an inner surface of a garment for example.

The fabric article 200 comprises a continuous body of fabric 200. Here, continuous body of fabric 100, refers to a unitary fabric structure that is integrally knit. This means that seams are not provided between different sections of the fabric article 200. In other words, the fabric article is seamless. Although the fabric is seamless, different types of yarns such as conductive and non- conductive yarns are provided in the continuous body of fabric 200. The body of fabric 200 is a weft knitted fabric.

The fabric article 200 comprises a base component 201 , 217. The base component 201 , 217 has a first surface 202 and a second surface 204 that are opposed to one another.

The base component 201 , 217 is a double-knit non-conductive base component 201 , 217. The double-knit non-conductive base component comprises first and second interconnected knit layers. The first knit layer defines first surface 202 and the second knit layer defines second surface 204 opposing the first surface 202. The first surface 202 and the second surface 204 are parallel to one another and spaced apart along the Z axis. In use, the first surface 202 faces away from the skin surface of the wearer of the fabric article 200 and the second surface 204 faces towards the skin surface of the wearer. The first surface 202 may be referred to as the front surface 202 and the second surface 204 may be referred to as the back surface 204 or skin-facing surface 104.

The fabric article 200 further comprises a sensing component 206 that is integrally knit with the base component 201 , 217. The sensing component 206 is knit from conductive yarn. This means that the sensing component 206 is integrally formed with the base component 201 , 217. The sensing component 206 is a unitary knitted structure formed from a single length of conductive yarn. This means that separate wires, connectors or other hardware elements are not required to electrically connect the different parts of the sensing component 206 together

The sensing component 206 comprises contoured conductive region 209 with contoured outer edges 211 , 213, 221 , 223. The contoured conductive region 209 is formed using the knitting techniques described above in relation to Figures 1 to 12.

The contoured conductive region 209 is has a three-dimensional profile that extends away from the first surface 202 of the base component 201 , 217 along the direction of the Z-axis. The sensing component 206 further comprises a conductive pathway 215 that extends from the contoured conductive region 209 along the first surface 202 of the base component 201 , 217. The conductive pathway 215 is electrically connected to the conductive region 209 and, in particular, is integrally knit with the conductive region 209 using the same length of conductive yarn.

The sensing component 206 further comprises a further conductive region 225 provided on the second surface 204 of the base component 201 , 217. The conductive region 225 has a three- dimensional profile that extends away from the second surface 204 of the base component 201 , 217 along the direction of the Z-axis.

The conductive pathway 215 electrically connects the conductive region 225 to the contoured conductive region 209. The contoured conductive region 209, conductive pathway 215 and conductive region 225 are integrally knit using the same length of conductive yarn.

The contoured conductive region 209 forms a connection terminal for electrically connecting with a further object.

The conductive region 225 forms an electrode for monitoring activity at a skin surface of a wearer of the fabric article.

The electrode 225 may be arranged to measure one or more biosignals of a user wearing the fabric article 200. Here, “biosignal” may refer to any signal in a living being that can be measured and monitored. The electrode 225 is generally for performing bioelectrical or bioimpedance measurements. Bioelectrical measurements include electrocardiograms (ECG), electrogastrograms (EGG), electroencephalograms (EEG), and electromyography (EMG). Bioimpedance measurements include plethysmography (e.g., for respiration), body composition (e.g., hydration, fat, etc.), and electroimpedance tomography (EIT). The electrode 225 may additionally or separately be used to apply an electrical signal to the wearer. This may be used in medical treatment or therapy applications.

The electrode 225 and conductive pathway 215 have straight edges. The base component 201 , 217 in the vicinity of these conductive regions 215, 225 do not have peaks or valleys and instead extend along the course direction.

In an example knitting operation for forming the fabric article 200 of Figures 13 to 15, a part of the base component 201 is first knit using front and back needle-beds of the knitting machine to form a double-knit base component. The course length is varied to form a valley in the region where the connection terminal 209 is to be formed in a similar manner to the techniques described in Figure 9.

The sensing component 206 is then knit using a single length of conductive yarn carried by a yarn carrier of the knitting machine. In particular, the front and back needle-beds are used to knit connection region 209 in similar manner to techniques described in Figure 9. Only some (e.g. odd or even) of the needles of the back needle-bed are used to knit the connection region 209 while both odd and even needles of the front needle-bed are used. The fewer number of stitches on the back needle-bed are unable to balance out the knit-layers which cause the conductive yarn to bunch-up to create a three-dimensional structure.

Then, the front needle-bed is used to knit part of the conductive pathway 215 and carry the conductive yarn over to the region where the electrode 225 is to be formed. The conductive yarn is transferred to the back needle-bed and used to knit the electrode 225.

A plurality of courses of conductive yarn are knit using the back needle-bed which causes the electrode 225 to adopt a three-dimensional profile that extends away from the second surface 204 of the base component 201 , 217 once formed. Because the conductive yarn is knitted using one bed only, the opposite bed of needles is not able to balance out the knit layers. This causes the conductive yarn to bunch-up to create a three-dimensional structure. This three-dimensional structure may form an elongate tubular shape. Additional courses of filler yarn may also be knit using tuck stitches on the front needle-bed to help the electrode 225 adopt the raised three- dimensional profile.

The conductive yarn is then transferred to front needle-bed to complete the knitting of the conductive pathway 215.

Then, the remaining part of the base component 217 is knit. The course length is varied to form a valley to accommodate the connection region 209.

Beneficially, the fabric article 200 of the present disclosure comprises a double-knit non- conductive base component 201 , 217. This double-knit base component 201 , 217 has two layers of fabric that are knit together as they are formed. The resultant base component 201 , 217 has two knit sides that are interlocked together. One or more conductive regions 209, 215, 225 are provided on or extending from either of the exposed surfaces 202, 204 of the double-knit base component 201 , 217. These conductive regions are able to be formed during the knitting operation for forming the base component 201 , 217 through selective use of the needle-beds of the knitting machine. Thus, the conductive regions 209, 215, 225 are integrally knit with the base component 201 , 217. Figure 16 shows an example wearable assembly according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wearable assembly comprises two of the fabric articles 200 described above in relation to Figures 13 to 15. The two fabric articles 200 form all or part of a wearable article 500 such as a garment. The fabric articles 200 may be attached to (e.g. bonded) or integrally formed with (e.g. integrally knit with) the wearable article 500. The wearable assembly further comprises a removable electronics module 400 that is able to be removably coupled to the fabric article.

The removable electronics module 400 comprises a housing 401 having a lower surface 403 and an upper surface 405. A pair of electrical contacts 407 are provided on the lower surface 403 of the housing 401. The contacts 407 are electrically coupled to a controller 409 disposed within the housing 401.

When positioned on the wearable article 500, the contacts 407 are brought into physical contact with the connection terminals 209 of the fabric articles 200. In this way, a temporary electrical connection is formed between the controller 409 of the electronics module 400 and the electrodes 225 of the wearable article 500. The electrodes 225 are able to contact a skin surface when the wearable article 500 is worn so as to measure signals from the skin surface and/or apply signals to the skin surface. Providing the electrodes 225 and the connection terminals 209 on opposing surfaces enables the electronics module 400 to be connected to the electrode 225 from an outer surface which faces away from the skin surface when worn without additional modification to the fabric articles 200.

The wearable article 500 may further comprise a holder for temporarily retaining the electronics module 400 and holding the electronics module in contact with the connection regions 209. The holder may, for example, be a pocket integrally knit with the base component 201 , 217. The pocket may have an opening which enables access inside the pocket. The electronics module 400 may be inserted into and removed from the pocket. When positioned in the pocket, the contacts 407 are brought into conductive connection with the connection terminals 209. The electronics module 400 is further arranged to wirelessly communicate data to a mobile device when coupled to the wearable article 500. Various protocols enable wireless communication between the electronics module 300 and the mobile device Example communication protocols include Bluetooth ®, Bluetooth ® Low Energy, and near-field communication (NFC). The present disclosure is not limited to electronics modules 400 that communicate with mobile devices and instead may communicate with any electronic device capable of communicating directly with the electronics module 400 or indirectly via a server over a wired or wireless communication network. The electronic device may be a wireless device or a wired device. The wireless/wired device may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, gaming system, MP3 player, point-of-sale device, or wearable device such as a smart watch. A wireless device is intended to encompass any compatible mobile technology computing device that connects to a wireless communication network, such as mobile phones, mobile equipment, mobile stations, user equipment, cellular phones, smartphones, handsets or the like, wireless dongles or other mobile computing devices. The wireless communication network is intended to encompass any type of wireless network such as mobile/cellular networks used to provide mobile phone services.

The present disclosure is not limited to the use of pockets for releasably mechanically coupling the electronics module 400 to the wearable article 500 and other mounting arrangements for the electronics module 400 are within the scope of the present disclosure. The mechanical coupling of the electronic module 400 to the wearable article 500 may be provided by a mechanical interface such as a clip, a plug and socket arrangement, etc. The mechanical coupling or mechanical interface may be configured to maintain the electronic module 400 in a particular orientation with respect to the wearable article 500 when the electronic module 400 is coupled to the wearable article 500. This may be beneficial in ensuring that the electronic module 500 is securely held in place with respect to the wearable article 500 and/or that any electronic coupling of the electronic module 400 and the wearable article 500 (or a component of the wearable article 500) can be optimized. The mechanical coupling may be maintained using friction or using a positively engaging mechanism, for example.

Beneficially, the removable electronic module 400 may contain all of the components required for data transmission and processing such that the wearable article 500 only comprises the sensing components. In this way, manufacture of the wearable article 500 may be simplified. In addition, it may be easierto clean a wearable article 500 which has fewer electronic components attached thereto or incorporated therein. Furthermore, the removable electronic module 400 may be easier to maintain and/or troubleshoot than embedded electronics. The electronic module 400 may comprise flexible electronics such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The electronic module 400 may be configured to be electrically coupled to the wearable article 500.

It may be desirable to avoid direct contact of the electronic module 400 with the wearer’s skin while the wearable article 500 is being worn. It may be desirable to avoid the electronic module 400 coming into contact with sweat or moisture on the wearer’s skin. The electronic module 400 may be provided with a waterproof coating or waterproof casing. For example, the electronic module 400 may be provided with a silicone casing.

The electronics module 400 may further comprise a power source (not shown). The power source is coupled to the controller 409 and is arranged to supply power to the controller 409. The power source may comprise a plurality of power sources. The power source may be a battery. The battery may be a rechargeable battery. The battery may be a rechargeable battery adapted to be charged wirelessly such as by inductive charging. The power source may comprise an energy harvesting device. The energy harvesting device may be configured to generate electric power signals in response to kinetic events such as kinetic events performed by a wearer of the garment. The kinetic event could include walking, running, exercising or respiration of the wearer. The energy harvesting material may comprise a piezoelectric material which generates electricity in response to mechanical deformation of the converter. The energy harvesting device may harvest energy from body heat of a wearer of the garment. The energy harvesting device may be a thermoelectric energy harvesting device. The power source may be a super capacitor, or an energy cell.

The electronics module 400 may further comprise a communicator (not shown) for communicating with an external device such as a mobile device. The communicator may be a mobile/cellular communicator operable to communicate the data wirelessly via one or more base stations. The communicator may provide wireless communication capabilities for the wearable article and enables the wearable article to communicate via one or more wireless communication protocols such as used for communication over: a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless metroarea network (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), Bluetooth ® Low Energy, Bluetooth ® Mesh, Bluetooth ® 5, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, Ant, a near field communication (NFC), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), a cellular communication network, or any other electromagnetic RF communication protocol.. The cellular communication network may be a fourth generation (4G) LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), LTE Cat-M1 , LTE Cat-M2, NB-loT, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), and/or any other present or future developed cellular wireless network. A plurality of communicators may be provided for communicating over a combination of different communication protocols.

The electronics module 400 may comprise an input unit (not shown). The input unit enables the electronics module 400 to receive a user input for controlling the operation of the electronics module 400. The input unit may be any form of input unit capable of detecting an input event. The input event is typically an object being brought into proximity with the electronics module 400.

In some examples, the input unit comprises a user interface element such as a button. The button may be a mechanical push button.

In some examples, the input unit comprises an antenna. In these examples, the input event is detected by a current being induced in the first antenna. The mobile device is powered to induce a magnetic field in an antenna of the mobile device. When the mobile device is placed in the magnetic field of the antenna, the mobile device induces current in the antenna. In some examples, the input unit comprises a sensor such as a proximity sensor or motion sensor. The sensor may be a motion sensor that is arranged to detect a displacement of the electronics module 400 caused by an object being brought into proximity with the electronics module 400. These displacements of the electronics module 400 may be caused by the object being tapped against the electronics module 400. Physical contact between the object and the electronics module 400 is not required as the electronics module 400 may be in a holder such as a pocket of the wearable article. This means that there may be a fabric (or other material) barrier between the electronics module 400 and the object. In any event, the object being brought into contact with the fabric of the pocket will cause an impulse to be applied to the electronics module 2400 which will be sensed by the sensor.

The fabric articles 200 shown in Figures 13 to 16 are just an example arrangement. The electrode 225 and connection region 209 are not required to be on opposing surfaces of the base component 201 , 217 in all examples and instead the electrode 225 and the connection region 209 can be provided on the same surface. However, having the electrode 225 and connection region 209 on opposing surface is generally preferred. The electrode 225 may be contoured and may, in particular, be shaped to contour around a body part.

The conductive pathway 215 may be contoured and may, in particular, be shaped to contour around a body part.

The connection region 209 is not required to be contoured and may have straight edges.

A fabric article 200 that can be manufactured integrally in a single knitting operation is therefore provided. This means that discrete electronic components do not need to be integrated into an already formed base component but instead the sensing component is formed of conductive yarn as the base component is being knitted. The resultant fabric article has a singular fabric structure which handles, feels, behaves and looks like a fabric while providing the desired sensing functionality. The fabric article 200 is made using a flat-bed knitting machine that has a front bed of needles and a back bed of needles. Additional beds of needles may be provided and used in the knitting process. Other knitting machines capable such as circular knitting machines may also be used to manufacture the fabric article 200 generally the knitting machines are required to have at least first and second beds of needles. Having a raised electrode 225 is beneficial in improving electrode contact with the skin surface particularly when the wearer is moving. Having a raised connection terminal 209 is beneficial in terms of improving the electrical connection between the connection terminal 209 and a contact 407 of the electronics module 400.

While the above examples refer to double-knit base components. The present disclosure is not limited to such examples. The base component may have a single bed structure, a links structure, or a ribbed structure for example.

Fabric article 200 may be attached to a wearable article such as a garment. Fabric article 200 may be integrally knit with the wearable article. Such as by integrally knitting a garment comprising the fabric article 200.

In this example, the base component 201 , 217 further comprises a sealing/bonding yarn to seal the edges of the fabric article 100 to reduce and even prevent fraying of the fabric article. An example sealing/bonding yarn is the Porte yarn from Nittobo Group of Japan. The present disclosure is not limited to this example, and other sealing/bonding yarns are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is not limited to any particular dimension of the electrode 225, conductive pathway 215, and connection terminal 209.

Generally, however, the electrode 225, the conductive pathway 215, and connection terminal 209 extend for a height of between 0.2mm and 30mm along the Z-axis. The electrode 225, conductive pathway 215, and connection terminal 209 extend for a width of at least 0.1 mm along the X axis. The electrode 225 and/or connection terminal 209 and/or conductive pathway 215 may extend for a width of at least 0.5 mm, at least 1 mm, at least 2 mm, or at least 3 mm. The electrode 225 and/or connection terminal 209 may have a width of at least 3 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 15 mm, at least 20 mm, or at least 50 mm. The electrode 225 and/or connection terminal 209 may have a width between 5 mm and 20 mm.

The electrode 225, conductive pathway 215, and connection terminal 209 extend for a length of at least 1 mm along the Y axis. The electrode 225 may have a length of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, or at least 100 mm. The electrode 225 may have a length of between 20 and 50 mm. The connection terminal 209 may have a length of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, or at least 100 mm. The connection terminal209 may have a length of between 5 mm and 10 mm. The conductive pathway 215 may extend for a least of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, at least 100 mm, at least 200 mm, at least 300 mm, at least 500 mm. The conductive pathway 215 may extend for a length of the between 100 mm and 300mm.

Referring to Figure 17, there is shown an example wearable article 500 (fabric article) according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wearable article 500 is a bra. Conductive knit electrodes 225 are provided on the inside surface of the bra. The conductive knit electrodes 225 are contoured according to the techniques disclosed herein such that, when worn, the electrodes curve with the body and follow the contour of the body. This allows the electrodes 225 to navigate the shape of the bust of the wearer and be positioned as close to the heart as possible to optimize the signal performance.

Referring to Figure 18, there is shown an example method of knitting a fabric article according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Step S101 comprises knitting part of a base component, the knitting comprises knitting a first plurality of courses of yarn using a knitting technique that forms a first peak or valley in the base component.

Step S102 comprises knitting at least one course of conductive yarn to form a conductive region that is connected to and follows the peak or valley in the base component. The at least one course of conductive yarn forms a contoured outer edge of the conductive region.

Referring to Figure 19, there is shown another example method of knitting a fabric article according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Step S201 comprises knitting part of a base component. The knitting comprises knitting a first plurality of courses of yarn using a knitting technique that forms a first peak or valley in the base component.

Step S202 comprises knitting at least one course of conductive yarn to form a conductive region that is connected to and follows the peak or valley in the base component. The at least one course of conductive yarn forms a contoured outer edge of the conductive region. Step S203 comprises knitting a further part of the base component. The knitting comprises knitting a second plurality of courses of yarn, wherein the base component is connected to and surrounds the conductive region.

The fabric article is manufactured in a continuous process using a knitting machine comprising a first bed of needles and a second bed of needles. Preferably, the knitting machine is a flat bed knitting machine. An example flat-bed knitting machine comprises first and second needle-beds which each comprise the same number of needles arranged along horizontal lines. The needles are controlled by needle cams. The needles are controlled to knit loops otherwise known as stitches to form the fabric article 200. The knitting machine may have additional needle-beds if desired and as known in the art.

Reference to “course” or “row” throughout this specification will not be understood as necessarily referring to a full-width course that extends along the full-width of the needle bed or the fabric article unless otherwise specified. Course instead just refers to a row of stitches formed by the knitting machine. Course contrasts with “wales” which refer to columns of vertical stitches formed by the knitting machine. A knitted course may also be referred to as a traverse.

At least some of the example embodiments described herein may be constructed, partially or wholly, using dedicated special-purpose hardware. Terms such as ‘component’, ‘module’ or ‘unit’ used herein may include, but are not limited to, a hardware device, such as circuitry in the form of discrete or integrated components, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks or provides the associated functionality. In some embodiments, the described elements may be configured to reside on a tangible, persistent, addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute on one or more processors. These functional elements may in some embodiments include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Although the example embodiments have been described with reference to the components, modules and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it will be appreciated that described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any one example embodiment may be combined with features of any other embodiment, as appropriate, except where such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” or “comprises” means including the component(s) specified but not to the exclusion of the presence of others. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.