The present invention is directed towards a fabric article and method of making the same. The present invention is directed, in particular, towards a fabric article comprising a fabric base component and conductive regions provided on the base component.

Background

Fabric articles comprising conductive regions such as in the form 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 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.

It is desirable to form conductive regions from conductive yarn that is knitted with a base fabric layer (base component) during a single knitting operation. This process simplifies the process of integrating electrodes into wearable articles and avoids the need for metallic or conductive polymer elements to be incorporated into a fabric. Conductive fabric electrodes are also comfortable to wear and can look, behave and feel like normal garment fabric.

Knitting conductive yarn is preferred over other techniques, such as weaving, as knitted structures are able to stretch without directly stretching the yarns used to form the knitted structure. Instead, when a knitted structure is stretched, the loops are deformed. This contrasts with woven articles where the yarns are directly stretched when the woven article is stretched. It will be appreciated that stretching a conductive yarn can change its electrical properties.

United States Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0144561 A1 discloses knitting techniques for forming three-dimensional textile electrodes. A conductive surface forming the electrode is knit using a back needle bed of a knitting machine while an isolating surface is knit using the front needle bed. A thread network is provided in a space formed between the conductive surface and the isolating surface using a tucking technique.

Existing knitted conductive regions such as electrodes and transmission channels are generally only able to follow the horizontal course direction of the weft knitted fabric. It is generally not possible or practical to provide conductive regions in fabrics that navigate along a desired route which is not aligned with the horizontal course direction. This limits the integration of knitted conductive yarn structures into fabric articles. It is desirable to overcome at least some of the problems associated with the prior art, whether explicitly discussed herein or otherwise. 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 weft knitting a fabric article using a knitting machine comprising first and second needle beds.

The method comprises knitting part of base component comprising a first section with knitted courses extending in a first direction and a second section with knitted courses extending in a second direction different to the first direction.

The knitting comprises knitting a plurality of courses of yarn using tuck-rib stitches while selectively racking one of the first and second needle beds relative to the other of the first and second needle beds.

The plurality of courses of tuck-rib stitches each comprise a first sequence of tuck stitches on the first bed and knitted loops on the second bed and a second sequence of knitted loops on the first bed and tuck stitches on the second bed.

The method further comprises knitting conductive yarn to form first and second conductive regions.

The first conductive region is connected to the first section of the base component and has at least one knitted course that follows the first direction.

The second conductive region is connected to the second section of the base component and has at least one knitted course that follows the second direction. The terminology commonly used in the fabric/textile/knitting trade to define a sequence of tuck stitches on one bed, complemented by knitted stitches on the opposing bed, is “Full Cardigan Stitch”. Advantageously, the combination of the two different tuck-rib sequences used within a knitted course and the selective use of needle bed racking results in a base component that does not just extend in the horizontal direction. Instead, a change in direction is introduced into the base component. Subsequently knitted courses of conductive yarn are able to follow this change in direction in the base component to allow for the formation of conductive regions having complex geometries. This can simplify the integration of conductive regions into fabric articles and allow for conductive regions to follow a desired path around the body of a wearer or a garment seam for example.

The term “first bed” may refer to the front bed or the back bed of a flat-bed knitting machine such as a V-bed knitting machine. The “second bed” may refer to the other of the front bed and the back bed of the flat-bed knitting machine.

The yarn used to the knit the base component may comprise non-conductive yarn. The base component may be a non-conductive base component and may comprise only non-conductive yarn. Although conductive yarn may be incorporated into the base component if desired.

The part of the base component may further comprise a third section with knitted courses extending in a third direction different to at least one of the first and second directions.

The plurality of courses of tuck-rib stitches may each further comprise a third sequence of tuck stitches on the first bed and knitted loops on the second bed.

The plurality of courses of tuck-rib stitches may each further comprise a third sequence of knitted loops on the first bed and tuck stitches on the second bed.

Knitting the plurality of courses of yarn to form the part of the base component may comprise knitting repeated pairs of courses. Knitting each pair may comprise: knitting a first course while the first and second beds are in a first position; knitting a second course while one of the first and second beds is racked relative to the other of the first and second beds so as to move the one of the first and second beds away from the first position.

The second course may comprise the reverse of the stitches used for the first course such that stitches performed on the first bed for the first course are performed on the second bed for the second course, and stitches performed on the second bed for the first course are performed on the first bed for the second course. The method may further comprise knitting a further part of the base component. The knitting comprises knitting a plurality of courses of yarn using tuck-rib stitches while selectively racking one of the first and second needle beds relative to the other of the first and second needle beds. The tuck-rib stitches may comprise a first sequence of tuck stitches on the first bed and knitted loops on the second bed and a second sequence of knitted loops on the first bed and tuck stitches on the second bed.

The further part of the base component comprises a corresponding first section with knitted courses extending in a first direction and second section with knitted courses extending in a second direction different to the first direction

The further part of the base component may further comprise a corresponding third section with knitted courses extending in a third direction different to at least one of the first and second directions.

The tuck-rib stitches may comprise a third sequence of tuck stitches on the first bed and knitted loops on the second bed.

The tuck-rib stitches may comprise a third sequence of knitted loops on the first bed and tuck stitches on the second bed.

Knitting the plurality of courses of non-conductive yarn for the further part of the base component may comprise knitting repeated pairs of courses. Knitting each pair may comprise: knitting a first course while the first and second beds are in a first position; knitting a second course while one of the first and second beds is racked relative to the other of the first and second beds so as to move the one of the first and second beds away from the first position.

The second course may comprise the reverse of the stitches used for the first course such that stitches performed on the first bed for the first course are performed on the second bed for the second course, and stitches performed on the second bed for the first course are performed on the first bed for the second course.

Knitting the conductive yarn to form the first and/or second conductive region may comprise knitting a plurality of courses of conductive yarn using one of the first and second beds to form a raised conductive region that extends away from a surface of the first and/or second section of the base component. The method may further comprise knitting at least one course of filler yarn may comprise using tuck stitches such that the filler yarn is deposited within a space formed between the first and/or second conductive region and the base component. The filler yarn may be knit using a combination of tuck and float-stitches. The filler yarn may be an expanding yarn.

The first conductive region may be knitted using the second bed and the second conductive region may be knitted using the first bed such that the first and second conductive regions are provided on opposing surfaces of the base component.

The part of the base component may further comprise a third section with knitted courses extending in a third direction different to at least one of the first and second directions. Knitting conductive yarn may form a third conductive region. The third conductive region may be connected to the third section of the base component and may have at least one knitted course that follows the third direction.

The second conductive region may electrically connect the first conductive region to the third conductive region.

The base component and the conductive regions may form a continuous body of weft knitted fabric.

Advantageously, the present disclosure provides a continuous body of knitted fabric that comprises conductive regions integrally formed with the base component. This simplifies the manufacturing process as the conductive regions and base component are manufactured during a single knitting operation. The fabric article structure simplifies the knitting techniques required to form the conductive regions integrally with the base component. That is, the fabric article structure facilitates the manufacture of the continuous body of fabric in a single knitting operation.

The first and/or the second conductive region may form an electrode for monitoring activity at a body surface.

The conductive regions may be a unitary knitted structured form from a single length of conductive yarn. This may mean that the first conductive region, second conductive region and optional third conductive region are formed from the same conductive yarn during a single knitting operation. This simplifies the manufacturing process and increases the comfort of the fabric article as elements such as wires and hardware connectors are not required.

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.

The knitting machine may be a flat bed knitting machine such as a V-bed flat knitting machine.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a computer associated with a knitting machine comprising a first bed and a second bed, are operable to cause the computer to control the knitting machine to perform the method of the first aspect of the disclosure.

According to a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a weft knitted fabric article manufactured according to the method of the first aspect of the disclosure.

According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a weft knitted fabric article.

The fabric article comprises a base component comprising a racked-rib structure. The racked- rib structure comprising a first section with knitted courses extending in a first direction and a second section with knitted courses extending in a second direction different to the first direction. The knitted courses comprise tuck-rib stitches.

The fabric article comprises first and second conductive regions formed from conductive yarn. The first conductive region is connected to the first section of the base component and has at least one knitted course that follows the first direction. The second conductive region is connected to the second section of the base component and has at least one knitted course that follows the second direction.

The base component may further comprise a third section with knitted courses extending in a third direction different to at least one of the first and second directions.

The base component may further comprise a third conductive region formed from conductive yarn, wherein the third conductive region is connected to the third section of the base component and has at least one knitted course that follows the third direction.

The first and second conductive regions may be provided on opposing surfaces of the base component. The first conductive region and/or second conductive region may form an electrode for monitoring activity at a body surface.

The base component base component and the conductive regions may form a continuous body of weft knitted fabric.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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

Figure 1 is a simplified schematic side-on view of a V-bed knitting machine;

Figures 2 to 4 are simplified schematic top-down views of the front and back beds of the knitting machine in Figure 1 ;

Figures 5 to 6 are knitting notation diagrams showing a method of knitting loops using the front bed or the back bed of a knitting machine;

Figures 7 and 8 show the front and back surfaces of a fabric article knitting according to the methods of Figures 5 and 6;

Figure 9 is a knitting notation diagram showing a method of knitting loops using both the front bed and the back bed of a knitting machine; Figures 10 and 11 are knitting notation diagrams showing a method of knitting tuck- stitches using the front bed or the back bed of a knitting machine;

Figure 12 is a knitting notation diagram showing a method of knitting a combination of knitting loops and float stitches and a combination of tuck-stitches and float-stitches using the front and/or back bed of a knitting machine; Figure 13 is a knitting notation diagram showing a method of knitting full-cardigan stitches using a knitting machine;

Figure 14 shows a fabric article made according to the method of Figure 13;

Figure 15A is a knitting notation diagram showing a method of knitting full-cardigan stitches with racking to form a racked-rib structure; Figure 15B shows the racking of the needle beds during the method of Figure 15A;

Figure 16 shows a fabric article with a racked-rib structure made according to the method of Figure 15A;

Figure 17 is a knitting notation diagram showing an example method of knitting a base component according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 18 shows a fabric article with a racked-rib structure made according to the method of Figure 17;

Figures 19 and 20 show example fabric articles with racked-rib structures according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figures 21A-21 D are knitting notation diagrams showing an example method of knitting a fabric article according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figures 22A-22B, 23A-23C, and 24A-24B show example fabric articles with racked-rib structures made according to the method of Figures 21 A-21 D; Figures 25A-25B show an example positioning of the fabric article of Figures 24A-24B around the torso of a wearer;

Figures 26A-26B show the example positioning of fabric articles according to aspects of the present disclosure on a garment; and

Figure 27 shows a schematic diagram of a wearable assembly 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 are knitted from yarns.

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 teams. 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. 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, unlike warp knitting, is not required to be held 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.

To aid in the understanding of the invention, a brief overview of knitting machines and the stitches that knitting machines can generate is provided below. This explanation is not intended to be a full disclosure of the common general knowledge of the skilled person, but instead is only provided to aid in the understanding of the invention.

Figures 1 to 4 show simplified schematic diagrams of a conventional V-bed flat knitting machine 1 which is suitable for use in knitting the fabric articles described herein.

The knitting machine 1 comprises a front needle bed 3 and a back needle bed 5. The front and back needle beds 3, 5 diagonally approach once another at an angle generally between 90 degrees and 104 degrees to each other, giving an inverted V-shape appearance.

The front and back needle beds 3, 5 each comprise a large number of needles 7, 9. The needles are typically latch needles. Each needle 7,9 is able to create and manipulate individual stitches. The number of needles per inch is referred to as the gauge of the knitting machine 1 . Typically, knitting machines have a gauge of between 7 and 20.

The needles 7, 9 are controlled by a needle cam 11 that traverses across the needle beds 3, 5 in both left-to-right and right-to-left directions. The needle cam 11 is designed to knit a course of loops on both the front bed and the back bed during a traverse in either the left or the right direction.

Yarn is fed to the needle beds 3, 5 by one or more yarn carriers (not shown). Multiple yarn carriers are typically used to allow for a variety of yarns to be introduced into the fabric article at desired locations.

The needle beds 3, 5 are able to move relative to one another by a process called racking. Racking moves one of the needle beds by one or more needle tricks past the other needle bed, either towards the right or the left. A needle trick is a slot on the needle bed in which a needle moves back and forth. The front and back needle beds 3, 5 are aligned in Figure 2. In Figure 3, the back needle bed 5 has been racked to the left relative to the front needle bed 3. In Figure 4, the back needle bed 5 has been racked to the right relative to the front needle bed 3.

For most knitting machines, only the back needle bed 5 is able to be racked while the front needle bed 3 stays in a fixed position. However, this is not true for all machines, and front needle beds 3 may also be racked if desired.

Figure 5 shows an example knitting notation diagram in which a plurality of courses of knitted loops are formed using the front needle bed 3 of the knitting machine 1 .

The diagram comprises several rows of dots where each dot represents a needle on either the front bed 3 or the back bed 5.

The rows are grouped into pairs. In each pair, one row represents needles on the front needle bed 3 and the other row represents needles on the back bed 5. Each pair of dots show the knitting operations performed to form a knitted course of the fabric article.

The type of knitting operation performed is represented by the lines that traverse along the dots. Here, the knitting operations are knitted loops as indicated by the lines looping around the dots representing needles on the front bed 3.

The diagram is read from bottom to top. This means that the knitting operations S1 are performed first followed by S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6 in order. Each of the knitting operations S1- S6 involve forming knitted loops using the front needle bed 3 only. The back needle bed 5 is not used. The resultantly formed knitted fabric article comprises six courses of knitted loops where each course comprises three stitches.

Figure 6 shows an example knitting notation diagram in which a plurality of courses of knitted loops are formed using the back bed 5 of the knitting machine 1 . Each of the knitting operations S11-S16 involve forming knitted loops using back needle bed 5 only. The front needle bed 3 is not used. The resultantly formed knitted fabric article comprises six courses of knitted loops where each course comprises three stitches.

Figures 7 and 8 show a knitted fabric article 20 that may be formed as a result of front-bed only knitting using the techniques shown in Figure 5 or back-bed only knitting using the techniques shown in Figure 6. The knitted fabric article 20 is a single-faced structure as only one of the needle beds 3, 5 is used to form the knitted loops. Figure 7 shows the face 21 of the fabric article 20 and Figure 8 shows the back 23 of the fabric article 2. Figure 9 shows an example knitting notation diagram in which a plurality of courses of knitting loops are formed using both the front and back needle beds 3, 5. Each of the knitting operations S21-S27 involve forming knitted loops using both the front and the back needle bed 3, 5. This can be referred as double-knitting. The resultantly formed knitted article comprises a number of courses of knitted loops and has a double-faced structure as compared to the single-faced structure of the fabric article formed using the operations shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figures 10 and 11 show example knitting notation diagram in which a plurality of courses (S31- S36 and S41-S47) of tuck stitches are formed using the front needle bed 3 only (Figure 10) or using the back needle bed 5 only (Figure 11). Tuck stitches are produced when a needle holding an existing loop also receives a new loop which rather than being intermeshed through the existing loop is tucked in behind the existing loop on the reverse side of the stitch. Tuck stitches are represented in the diagram by as a “V” (or inverted “V”) shape that goes around the needle that performs the tuck stitch.

Figure 12 is an example knitting notation diagram in which float stitches are interspersed between other needle stitches. Float stitches are produced when a needle misses the yarn which instead floats over to the next chosen needle. Floats are represented in the needle diagram as a bypassed point.

Knitting operation S51 involves a series of knitted loops on the front needle bed (3) with float stitches in between. In other words, every other needle on the front needle bed (3) is used to knit a loop.

Knitting operation S52 involves a series of knitted loops on the back needle bed (5) with float stitches in between,

Knitting operation S53 involves a series of tuck stitches on the back needle bed (5) with float stitches in between.

Knitting operation S54 involves a series of tuck stitches on the front needle bed (3) with float stitches in between.

Knitting operation S55 involves a series of tuck stitches alternatingly performed on the front needle bed (3) and the back needle bed (5) with float stitches in between.

Tuck-rib stitches are another form of knit structure formed by using knitted loops on one needle bed and tuck-stitches on the other needle bed. Tuck-rib stitches can be used in full-cardigan stitches. Figure 13 is an example knitting notation diagram which shows a series of full-cardigan stitches. Full-cardigan stitches use repeating pairs of knit courses where the second course in each pair uses the reverse of the stitches used for the first course in each pair. The first and second courses both use tuck stitches on one needle bed and knitted loops on the other needle bed.

The tuck stitches cause the rib wales to gape apart so that the body width spreads outwards to a greater extent than the rib border. Tuck loops can increase the fabric thickness and make it heavier in weight and bulkier in handle.

The knitting operation S61 is a sequence of knitted loops on the front bed and tuck stitches on the back bed. The knitting operation S62 is the reverse of the sequence of S61 and has tuck stitches on the front bed and knitted loops on the back bed. Operations S63-S66 are a repetition of the sequences S61 and S62.

Figure 14 shows a knitted fabric article 30 formed as a result of the knitting operations of Figure 13. The full-cardigan stitches result in a balanced 1 x 1 tuck-rib structure with the same appearance when viewed from both faces of the fabric. This drawing is obtained from the textbook: Knitting technology (2001) David J Spencer, Third edition, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, UK (Figure 18.6, page 219).

Tuck-rib stitches, particularly as used in the two-course repeat manner of full-cardigan sequences, are suitable for racking to produce racked-rib structures. Racking involves moving one of the needle beds 3, 5 in the left or right direction relative to the other of the needle beds as shown in Figures 2 to 4. A racked-rib structure means a knitted structure formed using (tuck- )rib stitches while selectively racking one needle by one or more needle ticks past the other needle bed either towards the left or the right.

Figure 15A is an example knitting notation diagram which shows a series of full-cardigan stitches performed with racking of the needle bed. Figure 15B shows the position of the needle beds relative to one another during the knitting of the knitted courses.

The first knitted course knitted in operation S71 , involves a sequence of knitted loops on the first bed and tuck stitches on the back bed. The front needle bed 3 is aligned with the back needle bed.

For the second knitted course knitted in operation S72, the reverse of the sequence knitted in sequence S71 is knitted. For this course, the back needle bed 5 is racked to the left relative to the front needle bed 3 by one needle. The racking in the knitting notation diagram is indicated by the arrow in the left-hand column.

For the third knitted course S73, the same sequence as S71 is performed. The back needle bed 5 is moved back into alignment with the front needle bed 3. This means that the front and back needle beds 3, 5 are aligned during the knitting of this course.

For the fourth knitted course S74, the same sequence as S72 is performed. The back needle bed 5 is racked to the left relative to the front needle bed 3 by one needle.

For the fifth knitted course S75, the same sequence as S71 is performed. The back needle bed 5 is moved back into alignment with the front needle bed 3. This means that the front and back needle beds 3, 5 are aligned during the knitting of this course.

For the sixth knitted course S76, the same sequence as S72 is performed. The back needle bed 5 is racked to the left relative to the front needle bed 3 by one needle.

In other words, Figure 15A shows a full-cardigan sequence with racking. Every course has tuck- stitches on one bed and knitted loops on the other bed. For odd-numbered courses, the front and back needle beds 3, 5 are aligned, and for even-numbered courses the back needle bed 5 is racked to the left of the front needle-bed 3.

Figure 16 shows a knitted fabric article 40 formed as a result of the knitting operations of Figures 15A and 15B.

Full-cardigan sequences with racking are used to form a decorative zig-zag edge in the wale direction (perpendicular to the course direction). This decorative edge may be referred to as a Vandyke, zigzag stitch, or zigzag selvedge edge.

In an example operation, full-cardigan stitches are knitted while every odd course is racked to the right and every even course is racked to the left. After a desired number of courses, a full round of cardigan stitches are knitted without racking. This routine may be repeated as desired to form the desired number of zig-zags in the wale direction of the fabric article.

The present disclosure uses the principles of racking and tuck-rib stitches but applies them in a new way to introduce a change in direction in the course direction rather than (just) the wale direction. This change in direction enables conductive regions to be formed that follow the change in direction. This allows for the conductive regions to follow geometries other than along a straight line. Referring to Figure 17, there is shown an example knitting notation diagram for knitting a fabric article in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The knitting notation diagram shows a series of knitting operations used to form part of a base component for the fabric article. The base component is a region formed entirely or predominantly from non-conductive yarn and serves as a base on which conductive regions are provided. The resultantly formed base component has a racked-rib structure.

The knitting operations S81-S87 comprise knitting a plurality of courses of non-conductive yarn using tuck-rib stitches while selectively racking one of the front and back needle beds 3, 5 relative to the other of the front and back needle beds 3, 5. In this and other examples described herein, the back needle bed 5 is the only bed that is racked. This is because the front needle bed 3 is fixed for most, but not all, knitting machines. Of course, the front needle bed 3 may be racked if the knitting machine supports this operation.

Importantly, each of the plurality of courses of tuck-rib stitches comprise a first sequence of tuck stitches on the front bed 3 and knitted loops on the back bed 5 and a second sequence in which the knitting operations are reversed so that tuck stitches are formed on the back bed 5 and the knitted loops are formed on the front bed 3. This change in the knitting operation during a course, combined with the selective racking of the needle beds, introduces a change in direction of the base component in the course direction. This means that in the resultantly formed base component, the courses do not all extend along the same, horizontal, direction. Instead, the base component comprises a first section that extends in a first direction and a second section that extends in a second direction different to the first direction. Subsequently knit conductive yarn is able to follow the first and second directions formed by the base component.

The second section may be angled relative to the first section by an angle of roughly 20-60 degrees. In some examples, the angle is between 30 and 45 degrees. Referring to Figure 18, there is shown an example fabric article 100 formed as a result of the knitting operations shown in Figure 17. The base component 101 of the fabric article 100 has a first section 103 that extends along a first direction “A” and a second section 105 that extends along a section direction “B” which is different to the first direction. The base component 101 therefore does not just extend along the horizontal axis “X” and instead has a more complex geometry.

Referring again to Figure 17, it will be noted that the knitting operations comprise knitting three- pairs of courses (S81 , S82), (S83, S84), (S86, S87) using a full-cardigan style sequence. This means that the second course in each pair uses the reverse of the knitting stitches used for the first course in each pair.

The knitting operation S81 involves knitting a course comprising a sequence of tuck stitches on the front bed 3 and knitted loops on the back bed 5, which are used to form the first section 103 of the base component 101 , and a sequence of knitted loops on the front bed 3 and tuck-stitches on the back bed 5, which are used to form the second section 105 of the base component 101. The knitting operation S81 is performed while the front and back needle beds 3, 5 are in a first position and, in particular, when the front and back needle beds 3, 5 are aligned with one another as shown in Figure 2.

The knitting operation S82 comprises the reverse of the stitches used for the first course such that stitches performed on the front bed 3 for the first course are performed on the back bed 5 for the second course, and stitches performed on the back bed 5 for the first course are performed on the front bed 3 for the second course. The knitting operation S82 therefore comprises a sequence of knitted loops on the front bed 3 and tuck-stitches on the back bed 5, which are used to form the first section 103 of the base component 101 , and a sequence of tuck- stitches on the front bed 3 and knitted loops on the back bed 5, which are used to form the second section 105 of the base component 101. The knitting operation S82 is performed while the back needle bed 5 is racked to the left of the front needle bed 3 as shown in Figure 3.

These knitting operations are repeated forthe other pairs (S83, S84) and (S85, S86). Effectively, before the start of each pair, the back bed 5 is racked to the right so as to return to the first position.

S87 shows the knitting of a course of non-conductive yarn using both knitted loops on both needle beds without racking. This layer of double-knit yarn balances out the racked rib structure and is not required in all examples of the present disclosure.

Advantageously, the combination of the two different tuck-rib sequences used within a knitted course and the selective use of needle bed racking results in a base component that does not just extend in the horizontal direction. Instead, a change in direction is introduced into the base component. Subsequently knitted courses of conductive yarn are able to follow this change in direction in the base component to allow for the formation of conductive regions having complex geometries. This can simplify the integration of conductive regions into fabric articles and allow for conductive regions to follow a desired path around the body of a wearer or a garment seam for example. It will be appreciated that the first direction and the second direction can be altered by changing properties of the first and second sequences such as the relative number of stitches they contain as well as by controlling the racking that is performed. While the drawings show a rack to the left by one needle tick for every other course, racking by more than one needle tick can also be performed depending on the properties of the knitting machine used. Further, racking in a different direction and a different sequence of racking operations can be used to produce different geometrical effects in the base component.

Figure 19 shows an example fabric article 100 with a base component 101 having a racked-rib structure as described above in relation to Figures 17 and 18. The fabric article 100 also includes a plurality of knit courses of conductive yarn to form a first conductive region 107 and a second conductive region 109. The first and second conductive regions 107, 109 are connected to one another and can be considered as forming a single region in this example. In other examples, the first and second conductive regions 107, 109 may be separated from one another and may be provided on opposing surfaces of the base component 101 .

The first conductive region 107 is provided on the first section 103 of the base component and follows the first direction “A”. The second conductive region 109 is provided on the second section 105 and follows the second direction “B”. This means that the conductive regions 107, 109 follows the directional change introduced by the first and second sections 103, 105 of the base component 101 such that the conductive regions 107, 109 does not extend solely along the horizontal direction “X”.

The conductive regions 107, 109 do not need to be knitted using tuck-rib stitches and racking does not need to be used during the knitting of the conductive yarn. Instead, conventional knitting using knitted loops on one or both of the front and back needle beds 3, 5 may be used.

It will be appreciated that further directional changes in the base component 101 can be implemented by introducing additional sequences of tuck-rib stitches within a knitted course of the base component 101 . That is, the fabric article 100 may comprise any number of different sections that extend in different directions to follow a desired route.

Figure 20 shows an example fabric article 100 with a base component 101 having a racked-rib structure that forms three sections 103, 105, 111. The third section 111 extends in a third direction “C” which is different from the second direction “B”. A further, third, conductive region 113 is provided on the third section 111 of the base component 101 . The third conductive region 113 follows the third direction “C”. The first, second, and third conductive regions 107, 109, 113 are connected to one another and can be considered as forming a single conductive region 107, 109, 113 that follows the directional changes introduced by the first, second and third sections 103, 105, 109. In other examples, the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 may be separated from one another and may be provided on different surfaces of the base component 101.

The second section 105 may be angled relative to the first section 103 by an angle of roughly 20-60 degrees. In some examples, the angle is between 30 and 45 degrees. The third section 111 may be angled relative to the second section 105 by an angle of roughly 20 - 60 degrees. In some examples, the angle is between 30 and 45 degrees. The first and third directions “A”, “C” are substantially the same in this example but may be different.

Figures 21 A to 21 D show an example knitting operation for forming a fabric article in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 21 A shows knitting operations S91-S96 used to knit part of a base component having a racked-rib structure.

The knitting comprises knitting a plurality of pairs of courses (S91 , S92), (S93, S94), (S95, S96) of non-conductive yarn using tuck-rib stitches while selectively racking the back bed 5 relative to the front bed 3.

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

Each pair comprises a first course (S91 , S93, S95) that includes a first sequence of five tuck stitches on the front bed 3 and five knitted loops on the back bed 5, a second sequence of six knitted loops on the front bed 3 and six tuck-stitches on the back bed 5, and a third sequence of four tuck-stitches on the front bed 3 and four knitted loops on the back bed 5. The first courses (S91 , S93, S95) are knitted while the back bed 5 is in a first position which is aligned with the front bed 3 as shown in Figure 2.

Each pair comprises a second course (S92, S94, S96) that includes a first sequence of five knitted loops on the front bed 3 and five tuck-stitches on the back bed 5, a second sequence of six tuck-stitches on the front bed 3 and six knitted loops on the back bed 5, and a third sequence of four knitted loops on the front bed 3 and four tuck-stitches on the back bed 5. The second courses (S92, S94, S96) are knitted while the back bed 5 is racked to the left of the front bed 3 as shown in Figure 3. Of course, the back bed 5 may be racked to the right instead as shown in Figure 4 if desired. The knitting operations S91-S96 result in the formation of three sections 103, 105, 111 for the base component. The first section 103 extends in a first direction, the second section 105 extends in a second direction different from the first direction, and the third section 111 extends in a third direction different from the second direction. The first and third directions may be the same but this is not required in all examples. The first and third directions may be different.

Step S97 comprises knitting a course of non-conductive yarn using both front and back needle beds without racking to balance out the racked-rib structure.

Figures 21 B and 21 C show knitting operations S98-S111 used to form conductive regions 107, 109, 113 that are attached to the base component. The knitting operations are performed without racking of the needle beds 3, 5. The conductive yarn is held on a different yarn carrier to the non-conductive yarn used to knit the base component.

The conductive yarn may be a stainless-steel yarn such as those manufactured by TIBTECH Innovations. The conductive yarn may be a silver coated yarn such as the 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.

S98-S100 comprise knitting three courses of conductive yarn using knitted loops on the back needle bed 5 only to form part of the first conductive region 107. The course knitted in step S98 is intermeshed with the previous course of non-conductive yarn used to form the base component 101 such that the first conductive region 107 is attached to the first section 103 of the base component 101.

The additional courses knit in S99 and S100 are performed using the back bed 5 only and because of this, the opposite needles on the front bed 3, which are not used for knitting, are not able to balance out the knit layers. This causes the conductive yarn to bunch-up on the back- needle bed. This forms a three-dimensional structure in the finished fabric article 100. This three- dimensional structure may form an elongate tubular shape.

The number of courses is not required to be three and can instead be any number greater than or equal to one. Even with a limited number of courses, the 3D profile of the conductive region can still be provided by introducing the filler yarn as explained below.

S101 comprises knitting a course of conductive yarn comprising a sequence of knitted loops on the back needle bed 5 and a sequence of knitted loops on the front needle bed 3. The knitted loops on the back needle bed 5 continue the knitted of the first conductive region 107. The knitting on the front needle bed 3 forms part of the second conductive region 109 and the third conductive region 113. In effect, the transition from knitting on the back bed 5 to the front bed 3 pulls the conductive yarn through the base component 101.

S102-S103 comprise knitting two courses of conductive yarn using knitted loops on the front needle bed 3 only. This continues the formation of the third conductive region 113. Because the conductive yarn is knitted using the front bed 3 only, the back bed 5 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.

Step S104 and S015 comprise knitting courses of filler yarn using tuck stitches separated by float stitches. The course of filler yarn comprises a sequence of tucks and floats on the front bed 3 and a sequence of tucks and floats on the back bed 5.

Tuck knitting operations result in the formation of an extra stitch behind an existing stitch. The extra stitch is not visible from the outside surface of the fabric article. The tuck stitch is used to layer-in the filler yarn behind the conductive regions so that it is not visible from the outside of the fabric article.

The filler yarn in this example is 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 and may be a polyester filament yarn. The expanding yarn used in this example is a Newlife ™ polyester filament yarn manufactured by Sinterama S.p.A.

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 regions 107, 109, 113 and provide further stability. It is particularly desired to bulk out the first and third conductive regions 107 and 113. The second conductive region 109 is bulked out to a lesser extent due to the fewer number of knit courses used to make the second conductive region 109. As the expanding yarn expands to fill the space between the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 and the base component 101 , the space between the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 and the base component 101 does not need to be densely packed with filler material during the knitting operation. Less yarn is required than if a non-expanding filler material were used. For example, a single strand of expanding yarn may provide the necessary support and stability function when the steam (for example) is applied.

The filler yarn provides a stabilising function for the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 in order to reduce noise and other electronic artefacts. The filer yarn urges the profile of the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 out from the base component 101 and increase the quality, consistency and area of contact for the electrode 107 against the skin surface and the connection region 113 against the electronics module 300 (described below). This is provided without requiring an increase in the amount of compression applied to the skin surface by the fabric article 100. Moreover, as the expanding yarn is integrally knit with the remainder of the fabric article 100, this simplifies the manufacturing process and avoids the need to separately insert filler material after the continuous body of fabric is formed.

The filler yarn is knit using front bed 3 knitting in regions where the conductive yarn is knit using the back bed 5 (the first conductive region 107). The filler yarn is knit using back bed 5 knitting in regions where the conductive yarn is knit using the front bed 3 (the second and third conductive regions 109, 113). This is performed so as to anchor the filler yarn on the base component 101 rather than the conductive regions 107, 109, 113. This is particularly desirable when an expanding yarn is used as a filler yarn as it helps ensure that the expanding yarn pushes against and urges the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 away from the base component 101 to form the desired three-dimensional shapes.

Steps S106 and S107 comprise knitting further courses of the third conductive region 113 using the front needle bed 3.

Step S108 comprises knitting the final course of the third conductive region 113 and the second conductive region 109 using the front needle bed 3 and a further course of the first conductive region 107 using the back needle bed 5.

Steps S109-S111 comprise knitting the final courses of the first conductive region 107 using the back needle bed 5 only.

Figure 21 D shows knitting operations S112-S118 used to knit a further part of the base component having a racked-rib structure.

Step S112 comprises knitting a course of non-conductive yarn using both front and back needle beds without racking to close off the conductive yarn regions knit in steps S98 to S111 . Steps S113-S118 comprise knitting a plurality of pairs of courses (S 113, S 114), (S115, S 116), (S117, S118) of non-conductive yarn using tuck-rib stitches while selectively racking the back bed 5 relative to the front bed 3. The knitting operations are the same as described above in relation to steps S91 to S96.

It will be appreciated that the above diagram is only a simplified example of knitting operations that may be performed according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Some or all of the sections 103, 105, 111 may comprise more or a different number of stitches. The number of stitches determines the length ofthe sections 103, 105, 111 and longer or shorter sections may be knitted as desired.

Moreover, it is not required that three sections 103, 105, 111 are provided in all examples. Two sections 103, 105 or more than three sections may be provided.

The number of courses of yarn used to knit the base component 101 may be varied as appropriate by the skilled person so as to vary the width of the base component 101 in the finished fabric article 100. More or fewer knit courses may be provided. The racking effect can be continued by continuing to knit pairs of courses, e.g. (S91 , S92), using the knitting sequences and racking shown in the drawings.

While the base component 101 is knit using only one-type of non-conductive yarn in the example. Additional yarns may be used in knitting the base component if desired. Other example yarns include elastomeric yarns to add further stretch to the base component.

Moreover, additional stitches other than tuck-rib stitches may be used for the base component 101. For example, in addition to the tuck-rib stitches and double-knit stitches shown in the diagram other courses may be knit using techniques such as interlocking to impart additional desired properties for the base component 101.

The first, second, and third conductive regions 107, 109, 113 are not required to have the number of stitches or courses shown in the Figures. A greater number of courses can be knit to increase the three-dimensional effect of any or all ofthe conductive regions 107, 109, 113. Fewer courses can also be knit to reduce the three-dimensional effect of any or all of the conductive regions 107, 109, 113.

The filler yarn while beneficial for enhancing the 3D effect of the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 is not required in all examples. The filler yarn may be omitted from any or all of the conductive regions 107, 109, 113. The first conductive regions 107 is not required to be knit using the back needle bed 5 and could be knit using the front needle bed 3. The second conductive region 109 is not required to be knit using the front needle bed 3 and could be knit using the back needle bed 5.

The third conductive region 113 is not required to be knit using the front needle bed 3 and could be knit using the back needle bed 5.

The first and second conductive regions 107, 109 could be knit using the back needle bed 5 while the third conductive region 113 could be knit using the front needle bed 3 or vice versa.

The first and third conductive regions 107, 113 could be knit using the back needle bed 5 while the second conductive region 109 could be knit using the front needle bed 3 or vice versa.

The first, second and third conductive regions 107, 109, 113 could all be knit using the front needle bed 3 or the back needle bed 5. The knitting of the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 is not required to only use knitted loops as shown in the Figures additional stitches such as float stitches may be used if desired.

Figures 22A to 22B show a fabric article 100 manufactured according to the knitting operations described in relation to Figures 21 A to 21 D. It will be appreciated that the fabric article 100 comprises a greater number of stitches and courses than the example of Figures 21 A to 21 D. The example of Figures 21 A to 21 D only shows a small number of courses and stitches for simplicity.

The fabric article 100 is an elongate and narrow strip of material. The fabric article 100 is able to be worn so as to obtain measurement signals from the wearer. The fabric article 100 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 100 may be adhesively bonded to an inner surface of a garment for example. The fabric article 100 comprises a continuous body of fabric 100. 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 100. 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 100. The fabric article 100 comprises the base component 101 having the racked-rib structure. The base component 101 has the first section 103 extending in the first direction “A”, the second section 105 extending in the second direction “B”, and the third section 111 extending in the third direction “C”.

The base component 101 has a first surface 102 and a second surface 104 opposing the first surface 102. The first surface 102 and the second surface 104 are parallel to one another and spaced apart along the Z axis. In use, the first surface 102 faces towards the skin surface of the wearer of the fabric article 100 and the second surface 104 faces away from the skin surface of the wearer.

The fabric article 100 further comprises three conductive regions 107, 109, 113. The three conductive regions 107, 109, 111 form a sensing component for the fabric article 100.

The sensing component is part of the continuous body of fabric. This means that the sensing component is integrally formed with the base component 101 . The sensing component is formed from conductive yarn, and in particularly 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 together.

The first conductive region 107 extends along the first surface 102 of the base component 101. The first conductive region 107 is formed as a result of the knitting of conductive yarn on the back bed 5 in steps S98-S101 and steps S108-S111 . The first conductive region 107 is provided on the first section 103 of the base component 101 and extends in the first direction “A”.

The second conductive region 109 extends along the second surface 104 of the base component 101. The second conductive region 109 is formed as a result of the knitting of conductive yarn on the front bed 3 in steps S101 and S108. The second conductive region 109 is provided on the second section 105 of the base component 101 and extends in the second direction “B”.

The third conductive region 113 extends along the second surface 104 of the base component 101 . The third conductive 113 region is formed as a result of the knitting of conductive yarn on the front bed 3 in steps S101-S103 and steps S106-S108. The third conductive region 113 is provided on the third section 111 of the base component 101 and extends in the third direction “C”.

The first conductive region 107 forms an electrode for monitoring activity at a body surface. The first conductive region 107 is a three-dimensional conductive region 107 that extends away from the first surface 102 along the Z-axis as shown in Figure 23A. This three-dimensional/raised conductive region 107 forms a three-dimensional/raised electrode 107 for contacting the skin surface of the wearer to measure signals from the wearer and/or introduce signals into the wearer. The first conductive region 107 comprises a plurality of courses of conductive yarn. Opposing end courses of the conductive yarn are interconnected with the knit layer defining the first surface 102 of the base component 101 . The remaining courses of conductive yarn extend away from the first surface 102 of the base component 101 to form the raised conductive region 107.

The electrode 107 may be arranged to measure one or more biosignals of a user wearing the fabric article 100. Here, “biosignal” may refer to any signal in a living being that can be measured and monitored. The electrode 107 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 107 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 second conductive region 109 forms a conductive pathway 109 that electrically connects the first conductive region 107 to the third conductive region 113. The conductive pathway 109 is substantially flush with (or extends to a lesser extent than the first or third conductive regions 107, 113) the second surface 104 of the base component 101 (Figure 23C) and is formed from one or more (two in this example) of courses of conductive yarn extending between adjacent courses of non-conductive yarn in the base component 101. Proximate to the first conductive region 107, part of the conductive yarn extends through the base component 101 so as to be electrically connected to the first conductive region 107 provided on the first surface 102.

The third conductive region 113 is a three-dimensional conductive region 113 that extends away from the second surface 104 along the Z axis as shown in Figure 23B. The third conductive region 113 forms a connection region 113 for electrically connecting with a removable electronics module 300 (Figure 27). In particular, a conductive interface element 307 of the electronics module 300 is able to contact the connection region 113 to electrically connect the electronics module 300 to the connection region 113. The third conductive region 113 comprises a plurality of courses of conductive yarn. Opposing end courses of the conductive yarn are interconnected with the knit layer defining the second surface 104 of the base component 101. The remaining courses of conductive yarn extend away from the second surface 104 of the base component 101 to form the raised conductive region 113. The first conductive region 107 and the third conductive region 113 are spaced apart from one another along the length of the fabric article 100. That is, they are spaced apart along the X-axis (Figures 22A and 22B).

A fabric article 100 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 construction of fabric article 100 in Figures 22A to 22B provides the electrode 107 and connection region 113 on opposed surfaces 102, 104 of the base component 101. This is not required in all examples of the present disclosure as, in some examples, the electrode 107 and the connection region 113 may be provided on the same surface of the base component 101.

The conductive regions 107, 109, 113 further comprise a filler material disposed therein. The filler material is integral with the continuous body of fabric and in particular comprises an expanding yarn. During the knitting operation for forming the continuous body of fabric, the expanding yarn is intruded into the conductive regions 107, 109 113.

Beneficially, the filler material raises the profile of the conductive regions 107, 113 away from the base component 101. This helps to increase the quality, consistency and area of contact area. This is particularly beneficial for the raised electrode 107 as it helps ensure contact against the skin surface without requiring the fabric article 100 to provide additional compression such as through additional elastomeric material. The filler material maintains the shape of the raised conductive regions 107,113 and protects against deformation, buckle and roll even when they are rubbed against the skin or other surface. Moreover, using an expanding yarn means that the process of filling out the conductive regions 107, 113 is an intrinsic part of the manufacturing process. A separate manual process of inserting filler material into already formed conductive regions 107, 113 is not required.

Referring to Figures 24A and 24B there is shown another example fabric article 100 knit using the knitting techniques outlined in Figures 21 A to 21 D. The fabric article 100 has a similar structure to the fabric article of Figures 22A to 22B and like reference numerals are used to indicate like components. The fabric article 100 has a second section 105 that is far longer than the first section 103 or the third section 111. This means that a long conductive pathway 109 is provided that allows for the electrode 107 to be positioned a greater distance away from the connection region 113.

The complex geometry of the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 provided as a result of the base component 101 construction enables the connection region 113 and the electrode 107 to be positioned on different sides of the wearer. This is particularly beneficial when fabric articles 100 in accordance with the present disclosure are incorporated into garments such as by being bonded to a layer of the garment.

EXAMPLE USE CASES

In existing garments, knitted electrodes used to measure signals from the heart are typically located at the front of the wearer’s chest, or at the side of the rib cage below the heart. The removable electronics module 300 (Figure 27) which couples to the electrodes to obtain the measurement signals has to be located close the electrodes typically at the centre front of the wearer’s chest due to the complexity and impractically of providing knitted conductive pathways that follow a direction other than a horizontal direction.

It would be desirable to position the electronics module 300 towards the wearer’s back close to their neck such as between the collar bones. In this position, the electronics module 300 is unlikely to affect the comfort of the wearer if they fall or experience another form of impact such as a tackle or a collision in a team sport activity. However, existing knit constructions do not enable knit conductive regions to traverse from an upper region of the wearer’s back to their chest.

The present disclosure overcomes this issue by providing a new knitted base component 101 construction that allows the base component 101 to incorporate directional changes. Because the conductive yarn regions 107, 109, 113 are knitted with the base component 101 , the conductive regions 107, 109, 113 are able to follow the directional changes of the base component 101 .

Figures 25A and 25B show how fabric articles 100 made according to the techniques of the present disclosure enable knitted conductive regions to traverse from the wearer’s back to their front. In these Figures multiple fabric articles 100 are shown but only one, or two, or any number may be provided. Figure 25A shows the first section 103 of the base component 101 is located at the side of the rib cage below the heart of the wearer. The electrode 107 is provided on the first surface 102 of the base component 101 that faces the wearer and so is not visible in this Figure.

The second section 105 of the base component 101 is angled upwards to allow for the conductive pathway 109 to travel upwards towards the wearer’s back close to the wearer’s neck.

The third section 111 of the base component 101 introduces a further change in direction to position the connection region 113 at a desired position close to the base of the wearer’s neck, between their collar bones.

Figures 26A and 26B show how two fabric articles 100 in accordance with the present disclosure may be integrated into a garment 200. The fabric articles 100 may be bonded to an inside layer of the garment 200 using an adhesive film, for example.

The fabric articles 100 are coupled to the garment 200 such that the first sections 103 are positioned towards the front of the wearer’s chest. This enables the electrodes 107, positioned on the inner surface 102 of the first sections 103, to be in the optimal position for recording heart rate signals from the skin surface of the wearer.

The second sections 105 traverse upwards around the side of the wearer and up the wearer’s back to a region close the nape of the wearer.

The third sections 111 of the base component 101 introduces a further change in direction to position the connection regions 113 at a desired position close to the base of the wearer’s neck, between their collar bones.

The connection regions 113 may be covered by a pocket layer of the garment (not shown). When an electronics module 300 (Figure 27) is positioned within the pocket, electrical contacts 307 of the electronics module 300 may be brought into communication with the connection regions 113. This is explained in greater detail below in reference to Figure 27.

Figure 27 shows an example wearable assembly according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wearable assembly comprises two of the fabric articles 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The two fabric articles 100 form all or part of a wearable article such as a garment 200. The fabric articles 100 may be attached to (e.g. bonded) or integrally formed with (e.g. integrally knit with) the wearable article as per the examples of Figures 26A and 26B. The wearable assembly further comprises a removable electronics module 300 that is able to be removably coupled to the fabric article. The removable electronics module 300 comprises a housing 301 having a lower surface 303 and an upper surface 305. A pair of electrical contacts 307 are provided on the lower surface 303 of the housing 301. The contacts 307 are electrically coupled to a controller 309 disposed within the housing 301.

When positioned on the wearable article, the contacts 307 are brought into physical contact with the connection regions 113 of the fabric articles 100. In this way, a temporary electrical connection is formed between the controller 309 of the electronics module 300 and the electrodes 107 of the fabric article 100. The electrodes 107 are able to contact a skin surface when the wearable article is worn so as to measure signals from the skin surface and/or apply signals to the skin surface. Providing the electrodes 107 and the connection regions 113 on opposing surfaces enables the electronics module 300 to be connected to the electrode 107 from an outer surface which faces away from the skin surface when worn without additional modification to the fabric articles 100.

The wearable article may further comprise a holder for temporarily retaining the electronics module 300 and holding the electronics module 300 in contact with the connection regions 113. The holder may, for example, be a pocket integrally knit with the base component 101 of the fabric article 100 or a separate layer of the wearable article. The pocket may have an opening which enables access inside the pocket. The electronics module 300 may be inserted into and removed from the pocket. When positioned in the pocket, the contacts 307 are brought into conductive connection with the connection regions 113. The electronics module 300 is further arranged to wirelessly communicate data to a mobile device when coupled to the wearable article. 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 300 that communicate with mobile devices and instead may communicate with any electronic device capable of communicating directly with the electronics module 300 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 300 to the wearable article and other mounting arrangements for the electronics module 300 are within the scope of the present disclosure. The mechanical coupling of the electronic module 300 to the wearable article 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 300 in a particular orientation with respect to the wearable article when the electronic module 300 is coupled to the wearable article. This may be beneficial in ensuring that the electronic module 300 is securely held in place with respect to the wearable article and/or that any electronic coupling of the electronic module 300 and the wearable article (or a component of the wearable article) can be optimized. The mechanical coupling may be maintained using friction or using a positively engaging mechanism, for example.

Beneficially, the removable electronic module 300 may contain all of the components required for data transmission and processing such that the wearable article only comprises the sensing components. In this way, manufacture of the wearable article may be simplified. In addition, it may be easier to clean a wearable article which has fewer electronic components attached thereto or incorporated therein. Furthermore, the removable electronic module 300 may be easier to maintain and/or troubleshoot than embedded electronics. The electronic module 300 may comprise flexible electronics such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The electronic module 300 may be configured to be electrically coupled to the wearable article.

It may be desirable to avoid direct contact of the electronic module 300 with the wearer’s skin while the wearable article is being worn. It may be desirable to avoid the electronic module 300 coming into contact with sweat or moisture on the wearer’s skin. The electronic module 300 may be provided with a waterproof coating or waterproof casing. For example, the electronic module 300 may be provided with a silicone casing.

The electronics module 300 may further comprise a power source (not shown). The power source is coupled to the controller 309 and is arranged to supply power to the controller 309. 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 300 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 300 may comprise an input unit (not shown). The input unit enables the electronics module 300 to receive a user input for controlling the operation of the electronics module 300. 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 300.

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 300 caused by an object being brought into proximity with the electronics module 300. These displacements of the electronics module 300 may be caused by the object being tapped against the electronics module 300. Physical contact between the object and the electronics module 300 is not required as the electronics module 300 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 300 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 300 which will be sensed by the sensor.

It will be appreciated that a physical coupling between the electronics module 300 and the connection regions 113 is not required in all examples. The connection regions 113 may couple to a communication interface of the wearable article such as an inductive coil. The electronics module 300 may comprise a corresponding inductive coil to allow for inductive communication between the wearable article and the electronics module 300.

In some examples of the present disclosure, the fabric article 100 further comprises a gripper component provided on the first surface 102 of the base component 101. The gripper component is arranged to grip the fabric article to the skin surface and hold it in place even when the wearer of the fabric article is moving.

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.