Flexible structures with electro-conductive properties for wearable electronic devices

Abstract

Wearable electronic devices involve the integration of the electronic devices - smart sensors on flat textile structures. The wearable electronics used for physiological monitoring could help in diagnosis or ongoing treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases or with diabetes. The wearable electronics for medical monitoring should be comfortable for the patient and have a design concept for 3D garment products which allow a high portability in the textile flexible structures. For a wearable textile electronic device is important to study the influence of the body temperature for yarn electrical conductivity. The resistivity and electrical resistance for textile materials (yarns, flat textiles - woven, nonwoven or knitted) are important when the conductive textile structures are used to connect sensors or actuators. The textile materials used as support for electronics wearable devices must be also safe for humans and not cause an electrostatic discharge. This paper describes the behavior of the conductive yarn, based on Ag coating, in textile knitted structure by using sewing process. The work presents the conductive yarns parameters variation when the yarn integrated in textile structure is extended. In this work the Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) was used in order to analyze the chemical elements present in the conductive fiber from yarn structure used. This work proposes the using of conductive yarns for breathing belt monitoring, based on conductive filamentary yarn resistance modification in inspiration and expiration phases [1].