The present invention is directed towards a method, wearable article, assembly and electronics module, and in particular is directed towards determining an amount of degradation for a wearable article.

Background

Wearable articles can be designed to interface with a user of the article, and to determine information such as the user's heart rate, rate of respiration, activity level, and body positioning. Such properties can be measured with a sensor assembly that includes a sensor for signal transduction and/or microprocessors for analysis. The articles include electrically conductive pathways to allow for signal transmission between an electronics module for processing and communication and sensing components of the article. The wearable articles may be garments. Such garments are commonly referred to as ‘smart clothing’ and may also be referred to as ‘biosensing garments’ if they measure biosignals.

The sensing components of wearable articles may degrade over time particular after repeated washes. The water, temperature, agitation, detergents, colour run-off from other articles in the wash can all cause the sensing components to degrade. Beyond a certain number of washes, sensing components may degrade to the point that useful measurements are not able to be obtained. At this point, wearable article should be recycled and replaced with a new one.

While manufacturers typically provide information indicating the wash conditions and the maximum number of washes the wearable article can be exposed to, it can be impractical for the end user to manually count and keep track of the number of washes that have been performed. Moreover, differences in the wash parameters (e.g. temperature) used, the type of detergent used, other garments present during a wash cycle, and the washing machine used can affect the rate at which the sensing components degrade. Other factors such as whether the garment has been tumble dried or ironed can also cause the sensing components to degrade more rapidly. This may mean that, in use, a wearable article’s performance may degrade more quickly or slowly than the wash limit set by the manufacturer.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an easy and intuitive mechanism for determining whether a wearable article has degraded such as due to an excessive number of washes being performed or due to exposure to a high temperature.

Summary According to the present disclosure there is provided a method, wearable article, assembly and electronics module 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 determining an amount of degradation for a wearable article. The method comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a length of the first type of conductive material. The method comprises positioning an electronics module on a wearable article such that an interface of the electronics module is communicatively coupled with the calibration component of the wearable article. The method comprises measuring an electrical property of the length of conductive material of the calibration component so as to determine an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material.

Advantageously, the wearable article comprises a calibration component for use in determining the amount of degradation of the wearable article. The calibration component and the sensing component both comprise a length of the same type of conductive material. The calibration component and the sensing component will degrade by approximately the same amount over time due to factors such as the number and type of wash cycles performed. An electrical property, such as the impedance, of the calibration component is able to be measured so as to determine a degradation amount of conductive material. This measurement is used to indicate to the user whether the wearable article can continue to be used or needs replacing.

The calibration component may be or may be part of the sensing component or may be a separate sensing component (or a part thereof). The sensing component may comprise an exposed conductive region arranged to contact the body surface of the wearer in use. The exposed conductive region is not covered by the wearable article in use. The electronics module may be positioned on the exposed conductive region of the sensing component so as to measure the electrical property.

The sensing component may be a first sensing component of the wearable article. The wearable article may further comprise a second sensing component arranged to monitor activity at the body surface of the wearer. The second sensing component may comprise the calibration component. An exposed conductive region of the second sensing component may form the calibration component. The exposed conductive region may be an electrode. Both the first and second sensing components may comprise a calibration component. The method may comprise determining the amount of degradation of the first type of conductive material. Determining the amount of degradation may comprise comparing the measured electrical property to one or more stored electrical property values. The one or more stored electrical property values each being associated with a degradation amount for the length of the first type of conductive material. The measured electrical property may thus be compared with a dictionary of pre-stored values. The dictionary may be received/updated over time.

The method may comprise generating a prompt to the user to replace the wearable article according to the determined amount of degradation.

Measuring the electrical property may comprise measuring the impedance across the length of conductive material. Measuring the impedance may comprise measuring the resistance. The impedance is defined by one or more of the width, thickness, length and resistivity of the length of conductive material. The length of conductive material may adopt a circuitous path rather than a straight path so as to increase the length.

The interface of the electronics module may comprise two electrical contacts. Measuring the electrical property may comprise measuring the impedance across the two contacts.

The method may further comprise positioning the electronics module on the wearable article such that the interface of the electronics module is communicatively coupled with the sensing component of the wearable article.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a length of the first type of conductive material.

The first type of conductive material may be a conductive yarn. The first type of conductive material may be knitted, woven, felted or embroidered.

The sensing component may be located at a first position on the wearable article. The calibration component may be at located at a second position on the wearable article different from the first position.

The wearable article may further comprise a label, and wherein the calibration component is located on the label. The calibration component may further comprise a thermochromic colour changing region arranged to change colour in response to an increase in temperature.

The thermochromic colour change may be non-reversable.

The thermochromic colour changing region may comprise a thermochromic yarn.

The sensing component may comprise an electrode. The length of the first type of conductive material may form the electrode.

The sensing component may comprise a connection region. The length of the first type of conductive material may form the connection region.

The sensing component may comprise a conductive pathway that connects the electrode to the connection region.

The length of the first type of conductive material may form the conductive pathway.

The length of conductive material of the calibration component may comprise a region of uninterrupted, continuous, conductive material. The region of uninterrupted, continuous, conductive material does not have any breaks in it that would interrupt an electrical connection when an electronics module is positioned on the region.

The length of conductive material of the calibration component may comprise a conductive material that is applied to a body of the wearable article such as a textile body. The conductive material may be in the form of a conductive ink that is printed onto the body such as by using screen printing or inkjet printing techniques. The length of conductive material may be provided in the form of a transfer that is adhered to the body. The transfer may comprise one or more cured conductive ink layers that may be separated by cured non-conductive ink layers. An adhesive layer of the transfer may enable the transfer to be adhered to the body such as under the application of heat and/or pressure. The length of conductive material may be formed from a length of conductive wire.

The fabric layer of the wearable article may be formed of any suitable material. The fabric layer is preferred to be non-conductive or a least comprise non-conductive regions. The fabric layer may be made using any textile construction techniques known in the art such as knitting, weaving or felting. The fabric layer may comprise one or more types of yarn preferably non- conductive yarn. In preferred examples, the fabric layer is a knitted component and in particular a weft knitted component. According to a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an assembly. The assembly comprises a wearable article according to the second aspect of the disclosure. The assembly further comprises an electronics apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations. The operations comprising obtaining a measure of an electrical property of the length of the first type of conductive material of the calibration component; and determining, from the measured electrical property, an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material.

The electronics apparatus may be a user electronics device. The user electronics module may be in wireless communication with an electronics module arranged to measure the electrical property of the length of the first type of conductive material. The electronics apparatus may be an electronics module. The electronics module may further comprise an interface communicatively coupled to the processor, the processor being operable to process signals received from the interface, and wherein the processor is arranged to communicatively couple with the calibration component so as to measure the electrical property of the length of the first type of conductive material.

The electronics module may be arranged to communicatively couple with the sensing component when located at a first position on the wearable article and may be arranged to communicatively couple with the calibration component when located at a second position on the wearable article.

The interface may comprise an electrical contact. When the electronics module is located at the first position on the wearable article, the contact may be brought into contact with the sensing component. When the electronics module is located at the second position on the wearable article, the contact may be brought into contact with the calibration component.

The electronics module may comprise two electrical contacts. When the electronics module is located at the second position, the two contacts may be brought into contact with the length of conductive material of the calibration component and electrically connected to one another via the length of conductive material.

The electronics module may comprise more than two contacts.

The contacts may be contact pads, studs, or prongs or other conductive elements capable of forming a conductive connection with the wearable article identifier. The contacts comprise conductive material and thus are electrical contacts. The contacts may comprise flexible conductive material. The contacts may comprise conductive elastomeric material. The contacts may be flexible, elastomeric, contact pads.

The processor may be operable to measure an electrical property of the electrical connection formed between the two contacts by the length of conductive material of the calibration component.

The electrical property may comprise the impedance. The processor measuring the electrical property of the electrical connection formed between the two contacts by the length of conductive yarn may comprise the processor measuring the impedance between the two contacts.

According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an electronics module for use with a wearable article of the second aspect of the disclosure. The electronics module comprises a processor and an interface communicatively coupled to the processor, the processor being operable to process signals received from the interface. The processor is arranged to communicatively couple with a sensing component and a calibration component of the wearable article. The processor is operable to measure an electrical property of a length of a first type of conductive material of the calibration region. The measured electrical property is used to determine an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material.

The processor may be operable to determine the amount of degradation from the measured electrical property.

According to a fifth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of determining an amount of degradation for a wearable article. The method comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a length of the first type of conductive material. The method comprises obtaining a measure of an electrical property of the length of conductive material of the calibration component. The method comprises determining an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material from the measured electrical property.

The method may comprise any of the features of the method of the first aspect of the disclosure.

According to a sixth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a thermochromic colour changing region arranged to change colour in response to an increase in temperature.

In this aspect of the disclosure, the calibration component is not required to have a length of conductive material as per the first aspect of the disclosure although this may also be provided in this aspect.

The thermochromic colour change may be non-reversable.

The thermochromic colour changing region may comprise a thermochromic yarn.

The wearable article may further comprise a label, and wherein the calibration component is located on the label.

The thermochromic colour changing region may be arranged to change colour to indicate that the wearable article has been exposed to temperatures greater than a first threshold value.

The thermochromic colour changing region may be arranged to change colour to indicate that the wearable article has been exposed to temperatures greater than a second threshold value higher than the first threshold value.

The first type of conductive material may be a conductive yarn.

The first type of conductive material may be knitted, woven or embroidered.

The sensing component comprises an electrode.

The sensing component may comprise an electrode. The length of the first type of conductive material may form the electrode.

The sensing component may comprise a connection region. The length of the first type of conductive material may form the connection region.

The sensing component may comprise a conductive pathway that connects the electrode to the connection region.

The length of the first type of conductive material may form the conductive pathway. The sensing component may be located at a first position on the wearable article. The calibration component may be at located at a second position on the wearable article different from the first position.

According to a seventh aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an assembly comprising a wearable article according to the seventh aspect of the disclosure. The assembly further comprises an electronics apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations. The operations comprising obtaining an image of the calibration component of the wearable article; processing the obtained image to determine a colour of the thermochromic colour changing region; and determining, from the determined colour, a temperature that the wearable article has been exposed to. According to an eighth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of determining a temperature that a wearable article has been exposed to. The method comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a thermochromic colour changing region arranged to change colour in response to an increase in temperature. The method comprises obtaining an image of the calibration component of the wearable article. The method comprises processing the obtained image to determine a colour of the thermochromic colour changing region. The method comprises determining, from the determined colour, a temperature that the wearable article has been exposed to.

According to a ninth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of determining an amount of degradation for a wearable article. The method comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; and a calibration component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material. The method comprises positioning an electronics module on the wearable article such that an interface of the electronics module is communicatively coupled with the calibration component of the wearable article. The method comprises measuring an electrical property of the length of conductive material of the calibration component so as to determine an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material.

The wearable article may comprise a sensing component provided on the fabric layer. The sensing component may comprise a length of the first type of conductive material. The sensing component may be arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article. The sensing component may comprise the calibration component. The calibration component may be separate to the sensing component. The wearable article may comprise a plurality of sensing components. At least one of the sensing components may comprise the calibration component.

The wearable articles according to aspects of the disclosure comprise one or more sensing components. The one or more sensing components may be arranged to measure one or more biosignals of a user wearing the wearable article. Here, “biosignal” may refer to any signal in a living being that can be measured and monitored. The term “biosignal” is not limited to electrical signals and can refer to other forms of non-electrical biosignals. The sensing components may be used for measuring one or a combination of bioelectrical, bioimpedance, biochemical, biomechanical, bioacoustics, biooptical or biothermal signals of the user. The bioelectrical measurements include electrocardiograms (ECG), electrogastrograms (EGG), electroencephalograms (EEG), and electromyography (EMG). The bioimpedance measurements include plethysmography (e.g., for respiration), body composition (e.g., hydration, fat, etc.), and electroimpedance tomography (EIT). The biomagnetic measurements include magnetoneurograms (MNG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetogastrogram (MGG), magnetocardiogram (MCG). The biochemical measurements include glucose/lactose measurements which may be performed using chemical analysis of the user’s sweat. The biomechanical measurements include blood pressure. The bioacoustics measurements include phonocardiograms (PCG). The biooptical measurements include orthopantomogram (OPG). The biothermal measurements include skin temperature and core body temperature measurements. The sensing units may comprise a radar unit. The wearable article may sense a combination of external signals and biosignals of the user.

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

Figures 1 and 2 show external and internal views of an example wearable article according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figures 3 to 5 show schematic representations of an example sensing component according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figures 6 and 7 show example calibration components according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figures 8 to 10 show schematic representations of an example wearable article according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figures 11 to 12 show perspective views of an example electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of a wearable assembly comprising the wearable article of Figures 8 to 10 and the electronics module of Figures 11 to 12;

Figures 14 to 15 show schematic diagrams of an example wearable article according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 16 shows a schematic diagram of a wearable assembly comprising the wearable article of Figures 14 to 15 and the electronics module of Figures 11 to 12;

Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram for an example electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure while in communication with an external device; and

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

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

Figure 20 shows a process flow diagram for another example method according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 21 shows another example sensing component according to aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 22 shows an electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure positioned on the sensing component of Figure 21 ; and

Figure 23 shows an example wearable article comprising two of the sensing components of Figure 21 .

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.

“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 textile article. 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 (e.g. a hard hat), collar, wristband, stocking, sock, or shoe, athletic clothing, personal protecting 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 user. The garment may be a compression garment. The garment may be an athletic garment such as an elastomeric athletic garment.

The wearable article may be constructed from a woven or a non-woven material. The wearable article 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 following description refers to particular examples of the present disclosure where the wearable article is a garment. It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to garments and other forms of wearable article are within the scope of the present disclosure as outlined above.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown an example garment 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The garment 100 is in the form of a top, and in particular a tank top also known as a vest or singlet. Figure 1 shows the garment 100 as worn. The external surface 102 faces away from the user. Figure 2 shows the garment 100 turned inside out. In Figure 2, the internal surface 104 faces away from the user. The combination of Figures 1 and 2 enable the internal and external components of the garment 100 to be viewed. The garment 100 comprises a textile body 101. The textile body 101 may be made of any fabric material as desired by the garment designer. The textile body 101 may be formed from a number of fabric panels that are attached together by seams. The textile body 101 may be integrally formed such as by being integrally knit.

The garment 100 comprises an electronics module holder 103 arranged to receive an electronics module (described below). The electronics module holder 103 in this example is in the form of a pocket 103 with an opening that is accessible from the external surface 102 of the garment 100.

The garment 100 comprises a plurality (two in this example) of sensing components 200. The sensing components 200 are permanently attached to the garment 100 such that they remain attached to the garment 100 when the garment 100 is washed, for example. The sensing components 200 each comprise an electrode 207 that is located on the internal surface 104 of the garment 100. The electrodes 207 are arranged to contact the skin surface of the wearer when the garment 100 is worn so as to measure signals from the skin surface. The signals are generally bioelectrical signals. Bioelectrical signals include biopotential signals such as electrocardiogram signals and bioimpedance signals such as plethysmography signals. When an electronics module is positioned within the electronics module holder 103, the electronics module is brought into communication with the sensing components 200 so that the electronics module is able to receive signals from the electrodes 207. This enables the removable electronics module to perform measurements of the wearer from electrodes 207 incorporated into the garment.

To allow for repeated use of the garments 100, the sensing components 200 are generally designed by the manufacturer to withstand a set number of washes without the impedance increasing to the extent that it will dramatically affect the accuracy and quality of measurements performed. The set number of washes may be 30, 50, 60, 80 or 100 washes. However, beyond this number of washes, the performance of the sensing components 200 may degrade to the point that useful measurements are not able to be obtained. At this point, the garment 100 should be recycled and replaced with a new one.

Counting the number of washes that have been performed in order to determine when to replace the garment 100 is impractical. Moreover, differences in the wash parameters (e.g. temperature) used, the type of detergent used, other garments present during a wash cycle, and the washing machine used can affect the rate at which the garment 100 degrades. Other factors such as whether the garment 100 has been tumble dried or ironed can also cause the sensing components to degrade more rapidly. This may mean that, in use, a garment’s 100 performance may degrade more quickly or slowly than the wash limit set by the manufacturer.

To allow for a user to determine whether the sensing components 200 in the garment 100 have degraded to the extent that a new garment 100 (or a replacement sensing component 200) is required, the garment 100 further comprises a calibration component 300. The calibration component 300 in this example is located on the interior surface 104 of the garment 100 and, in particular, is positioned on the upper back region of the garment 100 close to the garment collar. The calibration component 300 and the sensing component 200 are located at different positions in the garment 100 and are spaced apart from one another. The calibration component 300 and the sensing component 200 are both located on the interior surface 104 of the garment 100. The calibration component 300 and the sensing component 200 are hidden by the textile body 101 of the garment 100 and are not visible from the external surface 102 of the garment 100. The sensing components 200 is located at a position that is optimal for measuring the activity of the wearer. The calibration component 300 is located at a discrete position such that it is not noticeable when the garment 100 is worn. The calibration component 300 is permanently attached to the garment 100 such that it remains attached to the garment 100 when the garment 100 is washed, for example.

The calibration component 300 and the sensing component 200 both comprise a length of the same type of conductive material. The conductive material used in this example is a conductive yarn formed from stainless steel although other conductive yarns such as those incorporating silver and other conductive materials are within the scope of the present disclosure. Other example materials include conductive inks and conductive transfers.

The calibration component 300 and the sensing component 200 will degrade by approximately the same amount over time due to factors such as the number and type of wash cycles performed. An electrical property, such as the impedance, of the calibration component is able to be measured by the electronics module so as to determine a degradation amount of conductive material contained within the garment 100. This measurement is used to indicate to the user whether the garment 100 can continue to be used or needs replacing.

In the example of Figures 1 to 2 a separate calibration component is provided. This is not required in all examples and one or both of the sensing components 200 may function as the calibration component. The electronics module may be positioned on either of the electrodes 207 of the sensing components 200. As shown in Figure 2, the electrodes 207 are exposed conductive regions that are not covered by the fabric of the garment 100.

Referring to Figures 3 to 5, there is shown an example sensing component 200 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The sensing component 200 comprises a fabric layer 201 which may be the same as or different to the textile body 101 in Figures 1 and 2. In some examples, the sensing component 200 is formed integrally with the rest of the garment 100 such that the electrode 207 and other components are provided directly on the textile body 101. In other examples, the sensing component 200 is a separate component which is then integrated into the garment 100 such as by attaching the fabric layer 201 to the textile body 101 .

The sensing component 200 comprises conductive regions 203, 205, 207.

The conductive regions 203, 205, 207 comprise a connection region 203 that is arranged to form an electrical connection with a corresponding contact of the electronics module (explained below) when coupled to the garment 100. The conductive regions 203, 205, 207 comprise an electrode 207 for measuring biosignals from a skin surface of a wearer of the garment. The electrode 207 is electrically connected to the connection regions 203 by a conductive pathway 205. This enables information to be exchanged between the electrode 207 and the electronics module when the electronics module is electrically connected to the connection region 203. The connection region 203 and electrode 207 are provided on opposing surfaces of the fabric layer 201 . The electrode 207 is provided on a surface of the fabric layer 201 that faces the skin surface when worn.

The present disclosure is not limited to wearable articles that incorporate electrodes. Other forms of sensing unit such as temperature sensors, hydration sensors, chemical sensors, motion sensors, and light sensors may be incorporated into the wearable article. The sensing units may be biosensors for use in measuring a biosignal. Electrocardiography (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) signals are examples of biosignals that may be measured by the sensing units. The conductive regions 203, 205, 207 are formed from conductive yarn in this example which is knitted, woven or embroidered with the fabric layer 201. In some examples, the conductive regions 203, 205, 207 are formed from a single length of conductive yarn which is integrally knit with the fabric layer 201 such as by using weft knitting on a flat bed knitting machine. Referring to Figure 6, there is shown an example calibration component 300 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

The calibration component 300 is in the form of a garment label 300. The garment label 300 has a base layer 301 formed from a satin material. Garment information including washing instructions 302, manufacture details, country of origin, product designation, garment size, and material composition are printed onto the base layer 301 . The base layer 301 is folded along the fold-line A and stitched into the garment 100 along the stitch lines B and C. In other examples, the garment label 300 may formed directly on the textile body 101 of the garment 100. For example, the garment information may be printed directly onto the textile body 101 . A base layer 301 may not therefore be required.

The calibration component 300 further comprises a calibration area 303. The calibration area 303 comprises a length of conductive material 305, 307 formed from the same type of conductive material are used in the sensing component 200 (Figures 3 to 5). In this example, the length of conductive material 305, 307 is formed from a conductive yarn that is woven into the base layer 301.

The length of conductive material 305, 307 includes interface regions 305 having the same size and shape as the contacts of the electronics module (explained below) and a conductive pathway 307 that joins the interface regions 305. In use, the contacts of the electronics module are positioned on the interface regions 305 such that they are electrically connected to one another via the conductive pathway 307.

Preferred examples form the interface regions 305 and conductive pathway 307 out of a simple, uninterrupted, strip of conductive material. At manufacture an impedance measured across the conductive pathway 307 will have a first value. This value will increase gradually over time as the garment 100 is used and washed.

The length of conductive material 305, 307 may have a uniform width along its length. The length of conductive material 305, 307 may have a uniform thickness along its length. That is, the interface regions 305 and conductive pathways 307 do not need to have distinctive geometries as shown in Figures 6 and instead may formed as part of the same uniform line of conductive material. The line of conductive material 305, 307 may extend from a surface of the base layer 301 to form a raised conductive region or may be substantially flush or recessed within the base layer 301 . In preferred examples and as shown in Figure 6, the interface regions 305 are wider and thicker (extend to a greater extent away from the surface of the base layer 301) than the conductive pathway 307. The length of conductive material 305, 307 may or may in part comprise a continuous, uninterrupted, length of conductive material.

Referring to Figure 7, there is shown another example calibration component 300 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The calibration component 300 is in the form of a garment label 300. The garment label 300 has a base layer 301 formed from a satin material. Garment information (not shown) is printed on the base layer 301 . The label 300 is integrated into the garment 100 in the same way as the calibration component 300 of Figure 6.

The calibration component 300 further comprises a thermochromic colour changing region 309 arranged to change colour in response to an increase in temperature. The colour changing region 309 is used to indicate whether the garment 100 has been exposed to excessively high temperatures which may have been caused by the user tumble drying their garment. Tumble drying can cause elastic fibres to break down due to excess heat, losing their stretch. If this happens, the stretch of the pocket 103 (Figure 1) and general compression of the garment 100 can be negatively affected. Excessive may also cause the sensing components 200 to degrade.

Advantageously, the colour changing region 309 provides a visual indication to the user that the performance of the garment 100 has been comprised due to excess heat. The user can therefore quickly and easily determine whether the garment 100 needs to be replaced.

The thermochromic colour changing region 309 may change colour as the temperature increases. Typically, the colour changing region 309 gets lighter as the temperature increase and becomes essentially colourless once very high temperatures are reached. For example, the colour changing region 309 may maintain its primary colour (e.g. red) at around 25°C and change to another colour (e.g. light red) at around 85°C. Tumble dryers tend to get to temperatures of around 175°C in normal operation

The colour change is preferable non-reversable such that an increase in temperature causes a permanent colour change to the colour changing region 309. This means that the visual indication that the garment 100 has been exposed to excess heat does not fade or disappear overtime.

The thermochromic material may be a printed ink or other colour changing material known in the art. Preferred examples use a non-reversible thermochromic yarn. Thermochromic yarn can be manufactured by adding thermochromic materials to polyester fibres during the forming process or coating polyester thread in a thermochromic layer.

In an example operation, a user electronic device such as the user’s phone may be used to capture an image of the colour changing region 309. Software running on the phone may process the captured image and determine without user input if too high a temperature has been reached. This can be used to generate a prompt to the user via the phone to replace their garment 100. The thermochromic colour changing region 309 may be incorporated into or may be arranged to form a machine-readable visual code similar to a QR code or barcode. The machine-readable visual code may comprise identification information for the garment 100. In this way, when the user electronic device captures an image of the colour changing region 309 identification information for the garment 100 can be obtained at the same time as determining the temperature exposure of the garment 100. This approach enables rapid identification of the garment 100 and avoids the need for the user to manually input identification information.

In some examples, only the colour changing region 309 is provided and the length of conductive material 305, 307 is not provided.

Referring to Figures 8 to 10, there is shown a garment 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The garment 100 may be the garment 100 of Figures 1 and 2. The garment 100 comprises a plurality (two in this example) of sensing components 200. The sensing components 200 are the same as the sensing components 200 described above in reference to Figures 3 to 5. Like reference numerals are used to indicate like components. The sensing components 200 may comprise a separate fabric layer or may be directly provided on the textile body 101 of the garment 100.

The connection regions 203 of the two sensing components 200 are spaced apart from one another and are not electrically connected to one another. The connection regions 203 are separated by the non-conductive textile body 101. The pair of connection regions 203 are arranged to form electrical connections with a corresponding pair of contacts of the electronics module (explained below) when coupled to the garment 100. The spacing of the connection regions 203 correspond to the spacing between the pair of contacts of the electronics module.

Referring to Figures 11 and 12 and 17, there is shown an electronics module 400 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The electronics module 400 comprises a plurality (two in this example) of contacts 401 and a housing 403. The contacts 401 act as an interface 401 for coupling the electronics module 400 to the components 200, 300 of the garment 100. The housing 403 houses components of the electronics module 400 such as a processor 409 of the electronics module 400.

The processor 409 is communicatively coupled to the contacts 401 such that the processor 409 may receive information from the contacts 401 . The processor 409 may comprise a plurality of processors 409. The plurality of processors 409 may be distributed within different components of the electronics module 409. The processor may comprise, for example, a single-interface processor module (e.g. an analog front-end) and a central processing module. The housing 403 comprises a top enclosure 405 and a bottom enclosure 407. The contacts 401 are attached to the bottom enclosure 407.

The housing 403 is formed of a rigid material in this example. The housing 403 may comprise a (rigid) polymeric material. The polymeric material may be a rigid plastic material. The rigid plastic material may be ABS or polycarbonate plastic but is not limited to these examples. The rigid plastic material may be glass reinforced. The rigid housing 403 may be injection moulded. The rigid housing 403 may be constructed using a twin-shot injection moulding approach.

The two contacts 401 are in the form of contact pads 401 that are provided on an outer surface of the housing 403. The contact pads 401 are formed from a flexible, conductive, material, but this is not required in all examples. The contact pads 401 are spaced apart from one another on the bottom surface of the housing 403. “Rigid” will be understood as referring to a material which is stiffer and less able to bend than the contact pads 401 formed of flexible material. The rigid housing 403 may still have some degree of flexibility but is less flexible than the flexible material of the contact pads 401. The contact pads 401 comprise conductive material, and thus act as conductive contact pads 401 for the electronics module 400.

The use of flexible conductors 401 is generally preferred as compared to rigid, metallic, conductors 401 as this means that hard pieces of conductive metallic material such as poppers or studs are not required to electrically connect the electronics module 400 to the wearable article. This not only improves the look and feel of the wearable article but also reduces manufacturing costs as it means that hardware features such as additional eyelets and studs do not need to be incorporated into the wearable article to provide the required connectivity. An additional problem with rigid metallic conductors is that their hard, abrasive, surfaces may rub against conductive elements such as conductive thread of the garment and cause the conductive thread to fray. Rigid contact pads such as those made from a rigid metallic material are also within the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to contact pads and other forms of electrical contacts such as studs, prongs or pins are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The contact pads 401 are formed of two separate pieces of conductive elastomeric material 401 that form first and second flexible contacts 401 . The conductive elastomeric material used in this example is a conductive silicone rubber material, but other forms of conductive elastomeric material may be used. Beneficially, elastomeric material such as conductive silicone rubber can have an attractive visual appearance and may easily be moulded or extruded to have branded or other visual elements. The elastomeric material is made conductive by distributing a conductive material into the elastomeric material. Conductive particles such as carbon black and silica are commonly used to form conductive elastomeric materials, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. The contact pads 401 may also comprise a 2D electrically conductive material such as graphene or a mixture or composite of an elastomeric material and a 2D electrically conductive material.

The contact pads 401 define an external surface that faces away from the bottom enclosure 407. The surface is arranged to interface with the wearable article. The surface is textured to provide additional grip when positioned on the garment 100 or the skin surface. The texture may be, for example, a ribbed or knurled texture. The elastomeric material 401 shown in the Figures has a ribbed texture. The contact pads 401 may be flat and are not required to have a textured surface.

The electronics module 400 is not required to have contact pads 401 . The interface 401 between the electronics module 400 and the components 200, 300 of the garment 100 may be a wireless interface for wirelessly (e.g. inductively) receiving signals from the sensing components 200 or the calibration component 300. In this way, signals may be read from the components 200, 300 without requiring a conductive coupling between the electronics module 400 and the components 200, 300 of the garment 100.

The electronics module 400 is arranged to communicatively couple to a user electronic device 500 over a wireless network. The electronics module 400 is arranged to wirelessly communicate data to the user electronic device 500. Various protocols enable wireless communication between the electronics module 300 and the user electronic device. Example communication protocols include Bluetooth ®, Bluetooth ® Low Energy, and a magnetic induction-based communication protocol such as near-field communication (NFC).

The electronics module 400 comprises a communicator 413 so as to communicate with the user electronic device 500 and other devices. Generally, the communicator 413 provides 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, 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- Mi , 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 user electronic device 500 may be any form of user electronic device such as a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone. The user electronic device 500 may be a tablet computer, another wearable device such as a smart watch.

The electronics module 400 comprises a memory 411 . The memory 411 is operable to store sensor data. The memory 411 may comprises a buffer in which the sensor data is temporarily stored. The buffer may be a first-in first-out buffer. The memory 411 may store look-up table information for use in determining whether a component 200, 300 of the garment 100 has degraded

The electronics module 400 further comprises a power source 415. The power source 415 is coupled to the processor 409 and is arranged to supply power to the processor 409. The power source 415 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 415 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 wearable article. 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 wearable article. 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 further comprises a sensor 417. The sensor may comprise a motion sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor or a combination of any of these (or other) sensors.

Referring to Figure 13, there is shown a wearable assembly 1 comprising the garment 100 of Figures 8 to 10 and the electronics module 400 of Figures 11 and 12. The electronics module 400 is positioned on the garment 100 and releasably held to the garment 100 by the electronics module holder 103 (Figure 1) of the garment 100. The holder 103 retains the electronics module 400 in a generally fixed position. When the electronics module 400 is positioned on the garment 100, the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 are placed into conductive connection with the connection regions 203 of the garment 100. This enables to the electronics module 400 to receive measurement signals from the electrodes 207 via the conductive pathways 205 and connection regions 203.

The electronics module 400 detects that it is receiving biosignals from the electrodes 207 and controls electronics module 400 accordingly. For example, the electronics module 400 enables one or more processing modules for processing biosignals received via the contacts 401 , enables one or more algorithms for processing the receiving biosignals, and configures a communicator of the electronics module 400 to enable one or more communication channels for transmitting the receiving biosignals and/or biodata derived from the biosignals.

Referring to Figures 14 and 15, there is shown a garment 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The garment 100 may be the garment 100 of Figures 1 and 2. The garment 100 comprises a calibration area 303 comprising a length of conductive material 305, 307 as described above in relation to Figures 6 and 7.

Referring to Figure 16, there is shown a wearable assembly 1 comprising the garment 100 of Figures 14 and 15 and the electronics module 300 of Figures 11 and 12. The electronics module

400 is positioned on the garment 100 and releasably coupled to the garment 100 by the electronics module holder 103 (Figure 1) of the garment 100. The holder 103 retains the electronics module 400 in a generally fixed position. When the electronics module 400 is positioned on the wearable article 100, the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 are placed into conductive connection with the length of conductive material 305, 307. The contacts

401 are each positioned on a respective one of the interface regions 305 of the calibration area 303. As the interface regions 305 are electrically connected via the conductive pathway 307, this means that the contacts 401 are electrically connected to one another via the length of conductive material 305, 307.

In the example of Figure 16, the length of conductive material 305, 307 has an overall length that is slightly greater than the spacing between the two contacts 401 . The length of conductive material 305, 307 may extend to a greater length such that the electronics module 400 can be positioned at multiple locations on the length of conductive material 305, 307 while still forming the electrical connection between the contacts 401. The length of conductive material 305, 307 may have uniform properties (e.g. width, thickness or resistivity) along all or part of its length such that the same electrical property is measured regardless of the position of the electronics module 400 on the length of conductive material. The length of conductive material 305, 307 may have varying properties along all or part of its length such that different electrical properties are measured depending on the position of the electronics module 400 on the length of conductive material 305, 307. A processor of the electronics module 400 is able to detect that the electrical connection has been formed between the two contacts 401 and measure an electrical property of the electrical connection formed between the two contacts 401 by the conductive material. This enables the processor to measure an electrical property of the length of conductive material 305, 307. This may involve the processor measuring the impedance across the two contacts 401 .

The processor of the electronics module 400 determines from the measured electrical property (e.g. the impedance) an amount of degradation of the length of conductive material 305, 307. The processor of the electronics module 400 uses this to determine whether the garment 100 should be replaced. The processor may communicate the result of the determination to a user electronics device which prompts the user to replace the garment 100. In other examples, the measured electrical property (e.g. the impedance) may be sent by the electronics module 400 to the user electronics device. The user electronics device may then determine the amount of degradation and prompt the user if the garment 100 needs to be replaced.

The amount of degradation may be determined by comparing the measured electrical property to one or more pre-stored values. The one or more pre-stored values may each be associated with a degradation amount for the length of the first type of conductive material.

For example, an impedance of between 5 and 100 Ohms may be associated with a low level of degradation meaning that the garment 100 is still performing well. An impedance of between 100 and 500 Ohms may be associated with a medium level of degradation meaning that the performance of the garment 100 is beginning to be affected but signal quality is still adequate. An impedance of greater than 500 Ohms may be associated with a high level of degradation meaning that the garment 100 has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced.

The electronics module 400 may store a look-up table listing different impedance values or ranges and the degradation level associated with them. Alternatively or additionally, the look-up table may be stored on the user electronic device.

In an example use case, an electronics module 400 may initially be positioned in the electronics module holder 103 (Figure 1) of the garment 100 such that it is receiving measurement signals from the sensing components 200. These measurement signals may be processed to determine features such as the user’s heartrate and processed versions of the received measurement signal may be sent to a user electronic device communicatively coupled to the electronics module 400.

The user electronic device or the electronics module 400 may determine that the received signal is of low quality. This may be determined as a result of any unexpectedly high, low, or varying heartrate for example. The device or electronics module 400 may initially attempt to correct the signal by adjusting thresholding or filtering parameters. If these are unsuccessful, the user electronic device may prompt the user to perform a calibration using the calibration component 300. Alternatively, the user may initiate the calibration process themselves via the user electronic device.

The user electronic device sends a command to the electronics module 400 to initiate a calibration process. This may include the electronics module 400 performing a self-test to determine whether there are any internal hardware issues for the electronics module 400.

The user electronic device also displays to the user how to position the electronics module 400 on the calibration area 303 such that the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 interface with the interface regions 305.

Once in position, the electronics module 400 will measure an electrical property (e.g. the impedance across the contacts). The electrical property is used to determine an amount of degradation for the length of conductive material 305, 307.

If the electrical property indicates that there is a low amount of degradation, then this indicates that the poor signal quality is not due to degradation of the sensing components 200 in the garment 100. The electronics module 400 / user electronic device may attempt other corrections to compensate for the low signal quality such as by applying extra signal compensation or increasing the gain of the Analog-to-Digital converter in the electronics module 400.

If the electrical property indicates that there is a medium amount of degradation, the electronics module 400 / user electronic device may still attempt other corrections to compensate for the low signal quality. The user electronic device may also display a prompt to the user indicating that the garment 100 is starting to reach its end of life and/or to provide information about the correct process for washing the garment 100.

If the electrical property indicates that there is a high amount of degradation, them the user electronic device may display a prompt to the user indicating that the garment 100 needs to be replaced. In some examples, the user electronic device may trigger a process for automatically ordering and shipping a replacement garment 100 to the user. Additional information such as how to safely dispose of or recycle the garment 100 may be displayed to the user.

Referring to Figure 18, there is shown a method of determining an amount of degradation for a wearable article according to aspects of the present disclosure. Step S101 comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a length of the first type of conductive material.

Step S102 comprises positioning an electronics module on a wearable article such that an interface of the electronics module is communicatively coupled with the calibration component of the wearable article.

Step S103 comprises measuring an electrical property of the length of conductive material of the calibration component so as to determine an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material.

Referring to Figure 19, there is shown a method of determining an amount of degradation for a wearable article.

Step S201 comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a length of the first type of conductive material.

Step S202 comprises obtaining a measure of an electrical property of the length of conductive material of the calibration component.

Step S203 comprises determining an amount of degradation of the length of the first type of conductive material from the measured electrical property.

Referring to Figure 20, there is shown a method of determining a temperature that a wearable article has been exposed to. Determining the temperature enables the determination of the amount of degradation of the wearable article as a higher temperature indicates a higher degradation.

Step S301 comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a fabric layer; a sensing component provided on the fabric layer, the sensing component comprising a length of a first type of conductive material, wherein the sensing component is arranged to monitor activity at a body surface of a wearer of the wearable article; and a calibration component comprising a thermochromic colour changing region arranged to change colour in response to an increase in temperature.

Step S302 comprises obtaining an image of the calibration component of the wearable article.

Step S303 comprises processing the obtained image to determine a colour of the thermochromic colour changing region.

Step S303 comprises determining, from the determined colour, a temperature that the wearable article has been exposed to.

Referring to Figures 21 and 22, there is shown another example sensing component 200 useable in the wearable articles described above. In this example, the electrode region 207 of the sensing component 200 forms the calibration component 300. That is, a separate calibration component 300 is not provided in addition to the sensing components 200. Instead, the sensing component 200, or one or a number of sensing components 200 provided with the wearable article, form the calibration component 300.

Figure 22 shows the electronics module 400 positioned on the calibration component 300 which is formed by the electrode 207 of the sensing component 200. The electrode 207 is exposed and not sandwiched between fabric layers of the wearable article 100 as shown in Figure 2. This enables the electrode 207 to contact the body surface in use.

When positioned on the electrode 207, the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 are electrically connected via the electrode 207. This enables the electronics module 400 or a remote device to measure an electrical property of the length of conductive material spanning between the contacts 401 so as to determine the amount of degradation for the conductive material.

Using the sensing component 200 as the calibration component 300 has the advantage that a separate calibration region does not need to be incorporated into the wearable article 100.

Referring to Figure 23, there is shown a wearable article comprising two of the sensing components 200 shown in Figure 21 . Both of the sensing components 200 have electrodes 207 that function as calibration components 300.

The electronics module 400 is arranged to be positioned on the wearable article at three different positions A, B, C. In position A, the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 are placed into conductive connection with the connection regions 203. This enables to the electronics module 400 to receive measurement signals from the electrodes 207 of the two sensing components 200 via the conductive pathways 205 and connection regions 203.

In position B, the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 are placed into conductive connection with one of the electrodes 207 that functions as a calibration component 300. This enables the electronics module 400 to perform a calibration measurement as described above.

In position C, the contacts 401 of the electronics module 400 are placed into conductive connection with one of the electrodes 207 that functions as a calibration component 300. This enables the electronics module 400 to perform a calibration measurement as described above.

The present disclosure is not limited to wearable assemblies and wearable articles. The technologies are useable in non-wearable applications. In other words, the present disclosure also provides an assembly comprising an article comprising an identification element, wherein identification information is encoded in an electrical property of identification element. The assembly further comprises an electronics module comprising a processor and two contacts communicatively coupled to the processor, the processor being operable to process signals received from the two contacts. When the electronics module is positioned on the article such that the two contacts are brought into contact with the identification element and electrically connected to one another via the identification element, the processor is operable to measure an electrical property of the electrical connection formed between the two contacts by the identification element so as to read the identification information.

In the present disclosure, the electronics module may also be referred to as an electronics device or unit. These terms may be used interchangeably.

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.