GB2594257A

GB2594257A - Article and method of making the same

Info

Publication number: GB2594257A
Application number: GB2005699.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rose Hepworth Isabel; John Lynch Michael; Riaz Naeem
Original assignee: Prevayl Ltd
Current assignee: Prevayl Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-20
Filing date: 2020-04-20
Publication date: 2021-10-27
Also published as: GB202005699D0

Abstract

An article 100 comprises a base component 101, such as an item of clothing, having opposed first and second surfaces 103, 105, sensing components 107a, 107b, attached to the base, where the sensing component comprises a first conductive region 109a, 109b, such as an electrode, which is provided on the first surface 103, and a second conductive region 111a, 11b, provided on the second surface, which connects to sensing equipment. A conductive pathway 113a, 113b electrically connects the first and second conductive regions. A gripper component, such as silicone tape is provided on the first surface of the base component 101, which is arranged to grip the article to a body surface.

Description

ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

The present invention is directed towards an article and method of making the same. The present invention is directed, in particular, towards an article comprising a base component and a sensing component attached to the base component.

Background

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

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 an 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 present disclosure, there is provided an article. The article comprises a base component having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface. The article further comprises a sensing component attached to the base component. The sensing component comprises: a first conductive region provided on a first surface of the base component to form an electrode for monitoring activity at a body surface; a second conductive region provided on the second surface of the base component and arranged to form a connection terminal for electrically connecting with an electronics module; and a conductive pathway electrically connecting the first conductive region to the second conductive region. The article further comprises a gripper component provided on a surface of the base component.

The gripper component maybe provided on the first surface of the base component, wherein the gripper component is arranged to grip the article to the body surface.

Advantageously, the article provides a sensing component with first and second conductive regions provided on opposing surfaces of a base component. This improves the utility of the article as it enables an electrical connection to be formed between the two opposing surfaces of the base component. This improves the mechanism by which an electronics module can be electrically connected to an electrode of the article.

Advantageously still, the article further comprises a gripper component that provides a grippy, high friction, non slip surface for the article. In preferred examples the gripper component is arranged to grip the article to the body surface. The gripper component provides additional grip between the article and the wearer's body surface. This additional grip reduces movement of the electrode on the skin surface. The reduction in movement results in a reduction of movement induced electrical noise appearing in signals provided by the electrodes. Furthermore, the gripper component may encourage perspiration or retain moisture in the vicinity of the electrode which can improve the sensing of electrical signals by the electrode.

The gripper component may be provided in the vicinity of the first conductive electrode. The gripper component may be provided around at least part of the periphery of the first conductive region.

The gripper component may be a raised section that extends away from the first surface of the base component.

The article may further comprise a filler material disposed within the gripper component. The filler material may comprise an expanding yarn. The filler material may comprise a plurality of tuck stitches of the expanding yarn. The filler material may comprise a plurality of float and tuck stitches of the expanding yarn.

The filler material may serve a stabilising function for the gripper component. The filler material may raise the profile of the gripper component out from the base component and increase the quality, consistency and area of its contact against the skin surface. This is provided without requiring an increase in the amount of compression applied to the skin surface by the article. Moreover, the expanding yarn can be integrally knit with the remainder of the article which simplifies the manufacturing process and avoids the need to separately insert filler material after the article is formed.

The gripper component may comprise silicone. The gripper component may comprise a silicone coating applied to at least part of the first surface of the base component. The silicone component may be selectively applied to the first surface of the base component such as to coat the base component around one or more edges of the first conductive region.

The gripper component may comprise a silicone tape applied to the first surface of the base component.

In some implementations, the gripper component is between 0.2 mm and 30 mm wide.

The gripper component may comprise a gripping yarn such as a silicone yarn.

The first and/or the second conductive regions may be wider than the conductive pathway.

Advantageously, the electrode is wider than the conductive pathway. Having a wider electrode is beneficial in providing increased surface area of electrode contact with the skin surface. Having a narrower conductive pathway is beneficial in terms of improving comfort for the wearer and minimising the visual appearance of the sensing component on the article. The connection terminal is also wider than the conductive pathway. Having a wider connection terminal is beneficial in terms of improving the electrical connection between the connection terminal and the interface element of the electronics module.

The first conductive region may extend away from the first surface of the base component to form a raised first conductive region.

The first conductive region may extend from the first surface to a greater extent than the gripper component.

The second conductive region may extend away from the second surface of the base component to form a raised second conductive region.

The first conductive region and/or second conductive region may extend to a height of between 0.2 mm and 30 mm from the first surface of the base component. The first conductive region and/or second conductive region may extend to a height of between 0.2 mm and 25 mm, 0.2 mm and 20mm, 0.2 mm and 15mm, 0.2 mm and 10mm, 0.2 mm and 5mm, 0.2 mm and 2 mm, and 0.2 mm and 1 mm. The first conductive region and/or second conductive region may extend to a height of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm, 1 mm and 30 mm, 2 mm and 30 mm, 5 mm and 30mm, 10 mm and 30 mm, 15 mm and 30 mm, 20 mm and 30 mm, and 25 mm and 30 mm. In some examples, the conductive region extends to a height of between 2 mm and 5 mm.

The conductive pathway may extend along a surface of the base component. The conductive pathway may extend along the first surface of the base component. The conductive pathway may be flush with a surface of the base component. The conductive pathway may extend at least partially within the base component.

The first conductive region and/or the second conductive region may extend away from the base component to a greater extent than the conductive pathway.

The conductive pathway may extend through the base component to electrically connect the first conductive region to the second conductive region.

The sensing component may be formed from conductive yarn.

The sensing component may be a woven or knitted component.

The sensing component may be formed from a single length of conductive yarn during a single knitting operation. This may mean that the first conductive region, second conductive region, and conductive pathway are formed from the same conductive yarn during a single knitting operation. This simplifies the manufacturing process and increases the comfort of the article as elements such as wires and hardware connectors are not required. Further, as the sensing component is knitted, the sensing component is able to stretch with the base component without the electrical properties (e.g. the resistivity) of the sensing component being affected. This is because when a knitted article is stretched, the yarn is not directly stretched, but rather the stitches are deformed. This contrasts with woven articles were 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.

The base component may be a woven or knitted component.

The sensing component may be integrally formed with the base component so as to form an article of a unitary construction that comprises the base component and sensing component.

This may mean that the article forms an all-in-one, integrated, wearable article. The sensing component can be produced at the same time, together, using the same knitting or weaving machine. This simplifies the process of manufacturing the article and means that separate conductive elements do not need to be provided and individually attached to the base component.

The first conductive region may be wider than the second conductive region.

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

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

The first and/or second conductive region may be tapered. This may mean that the first and/or second conductive region gradually increases in height. This may help reduce any potential fraying such as when an electronics module is connected to and removed from a conductive region functioning as a connection terminal.

The article may comprise a plurality of sensing components. This may simplify the manufacturing process as it is not required to manufacture individual articles each comprising only one sensing component.

The article may be arranged to be separated into a plurality of separate articles, wherein each of the plurality of separate articles comprises at least one sensing component. The article may comprise perforations and/or drawthread to facilitate the separation of the article. This enables a single article comprising a number of sensing components to be manufactured and subsequently separated to form a desired number of smaller articles each comprising one or more sensing components. One or more of the separated articles may comprise more than one sensing component. One or more of the separated articles may comprise two or more, five or more or even 10 or more sensing components.

The sensing components may be arranged on the base component to form a plurality of rows of sensing components. The rows may be arranged to be separated from one another to form the plurality of separate articles.

The plurality of sensing components may be arranged in a line on the article.

The plurality of sensing components may be arranged to form at least one pair of sensing components. For each pair of sensing components, the second conductive regions may be proximate to one another, and the first conductive regions may be spaced apart from one another.

The plurality of sensing components may comprise at least two sensing components of different lengths.

The article may comprise an information element for indicating the length of at least one of the sensing components. The information element may be printed, stitched or otherwise incorporated into the article.

The article may comprise a number N of sensing components. N may be greater than 2. N may be 5 or more. N may be 10 or more. N may be 100 or more.

All of the sensing components may be formed from a single length of conductive yarn. The sensing components may therefore be interconnected. Separating the articles may remove the interconnection between different sensing components The article may be a flexible article comprising a flexible base component. The article may be a fabric article comprising a fabric base component.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing an article. The method comprises forming a base component having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface. The method comprises forming a sensing component attached to the base component, wherein the sensing component comprises a first conductive region provided on the first surface of the base component; a second conductive region provided on the second surface of the base component, and a conductive pathway electrically connecting the first conductive region to the second conductive region. The method comprises forming a gripper component on a surface of the base component. The gripper component may be on the first surface of the base component, wherein the gripper component is arranged to grip the article to the body surface.

The article may be the article of the first aspect of the disclosure. There is also provided an article manufactured according to the method of the second aspect of the disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawinas

Examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a sectional view of an example article according to aspects of the present

disclosure;

Figure 2 shows a first surface of the article of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a second surface of the article of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows the article of Figure 1 when worn; Figure 5 shows the second surface of the article of Figure 1 when an electronics module is attached to the article; Figure 6 shows a sectional view of another example article according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 7 shows a first surface of the article of Figure 6; Figure 8 shows a second surface of the article of Figure 6; Figure 9 shows the article of Figure 6 when worn; Figure 10 shows a first surface of yet another example article according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 11 shows a sectional view of yet another example article according to aspects of

the present disclosure;

Figure 12 shows a first surface of yet another example article according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 13 shows a flow diagram for an example method of making a article according to

aspects of the present disclosure;

Figure 14 shows an exploded sectional view of an example wearable assembly comprising article, garment, and electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 15 shows an assembled view of the wearable assembly of Figure 14; Figure 16 shows an example system according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram for an example electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 18 shows an exploded view of another example electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 19 shows an exploded view of yet another example electronics module according

to aspects of the present disclosure; and

Figure 20 shows the bottom surface of the electronics module of Figure 19.

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

B

purpose only and not for the 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 articles, and in particular flexible articles such as fabric articles. Fabric articles may also be referred to as textile articles in this description. That is, the terms fabric and textile have the same meaning in the context of the present description and are used used interchangeably. The 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.

Preferred implementations of the present disclosure provide fabric articles comprising a fabric article. The following description refers to such fabric articles although it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to fabric articles.

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.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, there is shown a fabric article 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The fabric article 100 is an elongate and narrow strip of material that may be considered as forming a fabric tape 100. 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 non-conductive fabric base component 101. The base component 101 may be knitted or woven from non-conductive yarn. The base component 101 has a first surface 103 and a second surface 105 opposing the first surface 103. The first surface 103 and the second surface 105 are parallel to one another and spaced apart along the Z axis. In use, the first surface 103 faces the skin surface S of the wearer of the fabric article 100 and the second surface 105 faces away from the wearer. The first surface 103 may be referred to as an inner surface 103 and the second surface 105 may be referred to as an outer surface 105.

The fabric article 100 further comprises a plurality of sensing components 107a, 107b attached to the base component 101. The sensing components 107a, 107b are formed from conductive yarn which is integrally knit or woven with the base component 101 to form a fabric article 100 of an integral construction. That is the fabric article 100 is formed from a continuous body of fabric. In this example, Circuitex T" conductive yarn from Noble Biomaterials Limited is used to form the sensing components 107a, 107b. 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.

Each of the sensing components 107a, 107b comprises a first conductive region 109a, 109b provided on the first surface 103 of the base component 101. The first conductive region 109a, 109b is formed by knitting or weaving conductive yarn onto the first surface 103 to form a raised section of conductive material 109 that extends away from the first surface 103 along the Z axis.

This raised section of conductive material 109a, 109b forms a raised electrode 109a, 109b for contacting the skin surface of the wearer to measure signals from the wearer and/or introduce signals into the wearer.

The electrode 109a, 109b 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 109a, 109b 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 109a, 109b 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 sensing component 107a, 107b comprises a second conductive region 111a, 111b provided on the second surface 105 of the base component 101. The second conductive region 111a, 111b is formed by knitting or weaving conductive yam onto the second surface 105 to form a raised conductive region 111a, 111b that extends away from the second surface 105 along the Z axis. The second conductive region 111a, 111b forms a connection terminal 111a, 111b for electrically connecting with an electronics module 200. In particular, a conductive interface element 201a, 201b of the electronics module 200 is able to contact the connection terminal 111a, 111b to electrically connect the electronics module 200 to the connection terminal 111a, 111b.

The sensing component 1072, 107b further comprises a conductive pathway 113a, 113b of conductive material extending from the raised electrode 109a, 109b to the connection terminal 111a, 111b. The conductive pathway 113a, 113b electrically connects the raised electrode 109a, 109b to the connection terminal 111a, 111b. The conductive pathway 113a, 113b is formed of conductive yarn which is knitted or woven into the first surface 103 of the base component 101.

The conductive pathway 113a, 113b is knitted or woven along the length (in the Y axis direction) of the first surface 103 from the raised electrode 109a, 109b to the vicinity of the connection terminal 111a, 111b. The conductive yarn is then pulled through the base component 101 so that a portion 123a, 123b of the conductive yarn extends through the base component 101 from the first surface 103 to the second surface 105. The conductive pathway 113a, 113b thus electrically connects the raised electrode 109a, 109b and the connection terminal 111a, 111b on opposing surfaces of the base component 101.

The raised electrode 109a, 109b extends along the Z axis for a greater amount than the conductive pathway 113a, 113b such that the raised electrode 109a, 109b is higher than the conductive pathway 113a, 113b. Having a raised electrode 109a, 109b that extends above the conductive pathway 113a, 113b is beneficial in improving electrode contact with the skin surface S particularly when the wearer is moving. Having a shorter conductive pathway 113a, 113b is also beneficial in terms of improving comfort and minimising the visual appearance of the sensing component 107a, 107b on the fabric article 100. This is particularly important when an insulating bonding layer is applied to the conductive pathway 113a, 113b. Insulating bonding layers are typically applied to prevent the conductive pathway 113a, 113b from forming a conductive connection with the skin surface of the wearer when worn. If the conductive pathway 113a, 113b is too thick, then the insulating bonding layer may protrude above the electrode 109a, 109b and push the electrode 109a, 109b away from the skin surface S. The connection terminal 111a, 111b extends along the Z axis away from the second surface 105 to form a raised connection terminal 111a. 111b. Having a raised connection terminal 111a, 111b is beneficial in terms of improving the electrical connection between the connection terminal 111 and the interface element 201a, 201b of the electronics module 200.

The electrode 109a, 109b is wider along the X axis than the conductive pathway 113a, 113b.

Having a wider electrode 109a, 109b is beneficial in providing increased surface area of electrode contact with the skin surface S. Having a narrower conductive pathway 113a, 113b is beneficial in terms of improving comfort for the wearer and minimising the visual appearance of the sensing component 107a, 107b on the fabric article 100. The connection terminal 111a, 111b is also wider along the X axis than the conductive pathway 113a, 113b. Having a wider connection terminal 111a, 111b is beneficial in terms of improving the electrical connection between the connection terminal 1112, 111b and the interface element 201a, 201b of the electronics module 200.

The conductive pathway 113a, 113b is longer along the Y axis than the electrode 109a, 109b and the connection terminal 1 l la, 111b. This is beneficial for spacing the electrode 109a, 109b away from the connection terminal 111a, 111b.

The electrode 109a, 109b is longer and wider than the connection terminal 111a, 111b, but this is not required in all examples. The electrode 109a, 109b and the connection terminal 111a, 111b may have the same or similar dimensions. The particular dimensions will depend on factors such as the desired position of the electrode 109a, 109b on the skin surface S and the type and construction of the electronics module 200 and interface element 201a, 201b.

The present disclosure is not limited to any particular dimension of the electrode 109a, 109b, conductive pathway 113a, 113b, and connection terminal 111a, 111b.

Generally, however, the electrode 109a, 109b, the conductive pathway 113a, 113b, and connection terminal 111a, 111b extend for a height of between 0.2mm and 30mm along the Z-axis.

The electrode 109a, 109b, conductive pathway 113a, 113b, and connection terminal 111a, 111b extend for a width of at least 0.1 mm along the X axis. The electrode 109a, 109b and/or connection terminal 111a, 111b may extend for a width of at least 0.5 mm, at least 1 mm, at least 2 mm, or at least 3 mm. The electrode 109a, 109b and/or connection terminal 111a, 111b may have a width of at least 3 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 15 mm, at least 20 mm, or at least 50 mm. The electrode 109a, 109b and/or connection terminal 111a, 111b may have a width between 5 mm and 20 mm.

The electrode 109a, 109b, conductive pathway 113a, 113b, and connection terminal 111a, 111b extend for a length of at least 1 mm along the Y axis. The electrode 109a, 109b may have a length of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, or at least 100 mm. The electrode 109a, 109b may have a length of between 20 and 50 mm. The connection terminal 111a, 111b may have a length of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, or at least 100 mm. The connection terminal 111a, 111b may have a length of between 5 mmm and 10 mm. The conductive pathway 113a, 113b may extend for a least of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 50 mm, at least 100 mm, at least 200 mm, at least 300 mm, at least 500 mm. The conductive pathway 113a, 113b may extend for a length of the between 100 mm and 300mm.

The construction of fabric article 100 in Figures 1 to 5 provides the electrode 109a, 109b and connection terminal 111a, 111b on opposed surfaces 103, 105 of the base component 101. This is not required in all examples of the present disclosure as, in some examples, the electrode 109a, 109b and the connection terminal may be provided on the same surface of the base component 101. Some sensing components 107a, 107b on the fabric article 100 may have the electrodes 109a, 109b and connection terminals 111a, 111b on opposing surfaces and other sensing components 107a, 107b of the fabric article 100 may have electrodes 109a, 109b and connection terminals 111a, 111b on the same surface. The arrangement of Figures 1 to 5 is particularly preferred as it enables an electronics module 200 to be connected to the electrode 109a, 109b from the second, outer surface 105 without additional modification to the fabric article 100.

If the connection terminal and the electrode were both located on a first surface then a hole may be required to be formed in the base component to allow an interface element for an electronics module located on the second surface to extend through the hole to connect with the connection terminal. Forming the hole may require additional manufacturing steps which may increase the time and cost of manufacturing the fabric article. Moreover, the hole may weaken the structural integrity of the fabric article. In another example, a conductive fastener such as a conductive metal stud may be inserted into the base component to allow the interface element to connect with the connection terminal on the first surface. Incorporating additional hardware into the fabric article may increase the manufacturing costs and reduce the comfort and visual appearance of the fabric article.

The plurality (two in this example) of sensing components 107a, 107b are arranged in a line along the Y axis. For at least one or each of the sensing components 107a, 107b, the raised electrodes 109a, 109b and conductive pathways 113a, 113b are provided on the first surface 103 of the base component 101. The connection terminals 111a, 111b are provided on the second surface 105 of the base component 101.

The sensing components 107a, 107b form at least one pair of sensing components 107a, 107b. One pair of sensing components 107a, 107b are formed in this example. For each pair of sensing components 107a, 107b, the connection terminals 111a, 111b are positioned proximate to one another and the raised electrodes 109a, 109b are spaced apart from one another. The raised electrodes 109a, 109b are longer along the Y axis than the connection terminals 111a, 111b.

In this example, the fabric article 100 is an elongate strip of material that may be directly worn such as a chest strap or wristband or may be incorporated into another wearable article such as a garment. The raised electrodes 109a, 109b form a pair of electrodes 109a, 109b for measuring signals and/or sending signals of/to the wearer of the fabric article 100. The raised electrodes 109a, 109b could be left and right electrodes 109a, 109b of an ECG sensor apparatus for example.

The connection terminals 111a, 111b are positioned proximate to one another to enable correspondingly spaced interface elements 201a, 201b of electronics module 200 to simultaneously form electrical connections with both connection terminals 111a, 111b. This enables the electronics module 100 to send/receive signals to/from both electrodes 109a, 109b.

Beneficially, the fabric article 100 is arranged to be separated to form two separate fabric articles 100a, 100b each comprising a sensing component 107a, 107b. The fabric article 100 may be separated along the dashed line A in Figures 1 to 3. The base component 101 in the vicinity of the dashed line may comprise perforations or a drawthread to facilitate the separation.

The separation process may be facilitated by knitting drawthread into the base component. An example draw thread is provided by SOMAC Threads LTD.

The process of separating may comprise manually pulling the draw thread to remove it from the base component 101. Drawthread is made to behave in a slippery and non-abrasive manner in order to facilitate easy pull and removal. Alternatively, the drawthread may be selected to melt upon application of steam. An example of melting drawthread is FILAC yarn by SOMAC Threads LTD. In this way, when steam is applied to the base component, the drawthread can dissolve at the same time, automatically separating the individual strips of fabric article In other examples, the fabric article 100 may be cut to form two separate fabric articles 100a, 100b each comprising a sensing component 107a, 107b. The two separate fabric articles 100a, 100b may be integrated into separate wearable articles or the same wearable article. Beneficially, a fabric article 100 comprising a plurality of sensing components 107a, 107b can be manufactured in one-piece using knitting techniques such as through use of a flat bed knitting machine. The fabric article 100 can then be cut as desired to form a number of smaller fabric articles 100 each having one or more sensing components 107a, 107b.

Further, the fabric article 100 of Figures 1 to 5 may be manufactured in one piece during a single knitting or weaving operation. This means that discrete electronic components do not need to be integrated into an already formed base component but instead are formed of conductive yarn as the base component is being knitted or woven. The resultant fabric article has a singular fabric structure which handles, feels, behaves and looks like a fabric while providing the desired sensing functionality.

The fabric article 100 of Figures 1 to 5 further comprises a gripper component 115a, 115b provided on the first surface 103 of the base component 101. The gripper component 115a, 115b is arranged to grip the fabric article 100 to the skin surface S and hold it in place even when the wearer of the fabric article 100 is moving.

The gripper component 115a, 115b comprises two strips of gripper material 115a provided along opposed edges of the electrode 109a and two strips of gripper material 115b provided along opposed edges of the electrode 109b. In this way, the gripper component 115a, 115b is provided around the periphery of the electrodes 109a, 109b. Having the gripper material 115a, 115b around both sides of the electrodes 109a, 109b is beneficial in terms of enhancing the gripping effect, and also provides a barrier around the electrodes 109a, 10910 to help reduce water ingress and/or egress.

The gripper component 115a, 115b is not provided around the periphery of the conductive pathway 113a, 113b in this example. Moreover, the gripper component 115a, 115b is only provided on the first surface 103 of the base component 101 and is not provided on the second surface 105 of the base component 101. In some examples, it may also be desirable to provide gripper component 115a, 115b on the second surface 105.

The gripper component 115a, 115b in this example is a raised section that extends away from the first surface 103 of the base component 101. This means that the gripper component 115a, 115b has a raised or three-dimensional profile which helps place it in contact with the skin surface S without requiring additional compression from the base component 101. The electrodes 109a, 109b still extend from the first surface 103 to a greater extent than the gripper component 115a, 115b.

In one example, the gripper component 115a, 115b is formed by applying silicone tape to either side of the electrodes 109a,109b on the first surface 103. Before applying the tape to the first surface 103 of the base component 101, the desired application areas for the gripper component 115a, 115b may be marked on the first surface 103 using, for example, a particular colour. This may help a person or machine to apply the silicone tape. An example silicone tape is the Stay4SureTM tape as provided by Stretchline Holdings 1430 Broadway Suite 307, New York, NY 10018 U.S.A. In another example, the gripper component 115a, 115b is formed by applying a coating of silicone to the first surface 103 of the base component 101. This may be formed by applying a bead of silicone material to the first surface 103 of the base component 101.

In another example, the gripper component 115a, 115b is formed by knitting/weaving silicone yarn or other gripping yam after or during the process of manufacturing the rest of the fabric article 100. This approach can simplify the construction of the fabric article 100 as additional steps such as the application of a silicone tape or a silicone coating are not required. An example silicone yarn is Silicotex as provided by Massebeuf Textiles, 135 route de la Fabrique, 07380 Pont de Labeaurne.

In some examples, particularly when the gripper component 115a, 115b is formed by knitting/weaving silicone yarn or other gripping yarn, the fabric article may further comprise filler material disposed within the gripper component. The filler material comprises an expanding yarn that is knitted or woven into the fabric article during the process of knitting/weaving the fabric article 100. The expanding yarn used in this example is a Newlife TM polyester filament yarn manufactured by Sinterama S.p.A.

Beneficially, the filler material raises the profile of the gripper component 115a, 115b away from the base component 101. This helps to increase the quality, consistency and area of contact area. This is particularly beneficial as it helps ensure contact against the skin surface S without requiring the fabric article 100 to provide additional compression such as through additional elastomeric material. The filler material maintains the shape of the gripper component 115a, 115b 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 gripper component 115a, 115b is an intrinsic part of the manufacturing process. A separate manual process of inserting filler material into already formed gripper component 115a, 115b is not required.

The present disclosure is not limited to silicone and other gripping materials may be used.

Referring to Figures 6 to 9 there is shown an example fabric article 100a comprising a single sensing component 107a. The fabric article 100a has been separated from a larger fabric article such as the fabric article 100 of Figures 1 to 5. Alternatively, the fabric article 110a may have been manufactured separately as an individual article. The raised electrode 109a is arranged to face and contact a skin surface S. The connection terminal 111a faces away from the skin surface S and interfaces with an interface element 201 of the electronics module 200. In this example, the gripper component 115a extends along the length of the first surface 103 of the base component 101. The gripper component 115a is provided around the periphery of the electrode 109a and the conductive pathway 113a. The gripper component 115a extends away from the first surface 103 to a greater extent than the conductive pathway 113a.

Referring to Figure 10, there is shown another example fabric article 100a comprising a single sensing component 107a. The fabric article 100a has been separated from a larger fabric article such as the fabric article 100 of Figures 1 to 5. Alternatively, the fabric article 110a may have been manufactured separately as an individual article. The raised electrode 109a is arranged to face and contact a skin surface S. The connection terminal 111a (not shown) faces away from the skin surface S and interfaces with an interface element 201 of the electronics module 200.

In this example, the gripper component 115a extends along the length of the first surface 103 of the base component 101. The gripper component 115a is provided around the periphery of the electrode 109a and the conductive pathway 113a. The gripper component 115a extends away from the first surface 103 to a greater extent than the conductive pathway 113a.

The gripper component 115a provided around the periphery of the electrode 109a is wider than the gripper component 115a provided around the periphery of the conductive pathway 113a. Having a wider gripper component 115a around the electrode 109a is beneficial in terms of preventing roll or other movement of the electrode 109a. Generally, a narrower width of gripper component 115a around the conductive pathway 113a is beneficial in terms of wearer comfort.

Of course, the width can be varied to provide further grip if desired based on the intended application.

Referring to Figure 11, there is shown another example fabric article 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The fabric article 100 comprises a plurality (four in this example) of sensing components 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d arranged in a line. The sensing components 107a, 107b are of a different length along the Y axis to the sensing components 107c, 107d. In particular, the conductive pathways 113a, 113b are longer than the conductive pathways 113c, 113d. The fabric article 100 may be cut along the dashed lines A, B, C to form four separate fabric articles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d each comprising a sensing component 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. Rather than being cut, the base component 101 may comprise drawthread extending along the lines A, B, C. The drawthread is used to separate the fabric article 100 into the separate fabric articles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d as described previously. The gripper components 115a, 115b, 115c, 115d are also provided around the periphery of the electrodes 109a, 109b, 109c, 109d on the first surface 103.

The fabric article(s) with sensing components 107a, 107b may be incorporated into a garment of a first size. The fabric article(s) with sensing components 107c, 107d may be incorporated into a garment of a second size smaller than the first size. The garment of the first size may be a top of size Large and the garment of the second size may be a top of the same style but size Small. This is just an example. Beneficially, a fabric article 100 comprising a plurality of sensing components 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d of one or more different sizes can be manufactured in one-piece using knitting or weaving techniques. The fabric article 100 can then be cut as desired to form a number of smaller fabric articles 100 each having one or more sensing components 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. The fabric article 100 can be manufactured as a long, elongate, tape of material comprising any number of sensing components and may then be cut to size for integration into different wearable articles.

The fabric article 100 may comprise one or more information elements for indicating the length of one or more sensing components 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. The information element may be a visual element or other form of machine-readable code stitched, printed, or otherwise integrated into the base component 101 of the fabric article 100. The information element may be in the form of a coloured thread. A first colour may indicate a first size and a second colour may indicate a second size.

The sensing components 107a, 107b are of a different length along the Y axis to the sensing components 107c, 107d. In particular, the conductive pathways 113a, 113b are longer than the conductive pathways 113c, 113d. The fabric article 100 may be cut along the dashed lines A, B, C to form four separate fabric articles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d each comprising a sensing component 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. Rather than being cut, the base component 101 may comprise drawthread extending along the lines A, B, C. The drawthread is used to separate the fabric article 100 into the separate fabric articles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d as described previously.

Referring to Figure 12, there is shown another example fabric article 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The fabric article 100 comprises a plurality (six in this example) of sensing components 107a-f. The sensing components 107a-f are arranged on the base component 101 to form six rows each comprising one sensing component. The rows may be separated along the lines A-F to form six separate fabric articles 100a-100f each comprising one sensing component 107a-107f. The base component 101 along the lines A-F may comprise drawthread to facilitate the separation process. The arrangement shown in Figure 12 is particularly beneficial for fabric articles 100 made using a knitting process such as flatbed knitting. Gripper components may also be provided around the periphery of the electrodes on the first surface.

1Nhile the above examples refer generally to fabric articles 100 formed using knitting and weaving techniques the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. The sensing components 107 can be of any desired conductive material and are not limited to knitted and woven conductive yarns. The conductive material may include printed conductive ink or conductive transfers formed from layers of insulating and conductive ink. Other forms of conductive material that can be incorporated onto a fabric are within the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to Figure 13, there is shown a method of manufacturing a fabric article according to

aspects of the present disclosure.

Step S101 of the method comprises forming a fabric base component having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface.

Step S102 of the method comprises forming a sensing component attached to the base component, wherein the sensing component comprises a first conductive region provided on the first surface of the base component; a second conductive region provided on the second surface of the base component, and a conductive pathway electrically connecting the first conductive region to the second conductive region.

Step 3103 of the method comprises forming a gripper component on the first surface of the base component, wherein the gripper component is arranged to grip the fabric article to the body surface.

In preferred examples, the fabric article is made using knitting or weaving techniques. A flat bed or circular knitting machine may be used, for example.

Referring to Figures 14 and 15, there is shown an example wearable assembly 10 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wearable assembly 10 comprises a pair of fabric articles 100a, 100b, an electronics module 200 and a garment 300. The pair of fabric articles 100a, 100b are separated from a larger fabric article 100 such as the fabric article 100 of Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 11 to 12.

The garment 300 comprises an outer layer 301 and an inner layer 307. The inner layer 307 is proximate to the skin surface S when worn. The garment 300 further comprises a pocket 305 extending from an external surface of the outer layer 301.

The fabric assembly 100a, 100b is disposed between the outer layer 301 and the inner layer 307. The first surface 103a, 103b of the fabric assembly 100a, 100b is attached to the internal surface of the outer garment layer 301. The second surface 105a, 105b of the fabric assembly 100a, 100b is attached to the inner layer 307. Adhesive layers (not shown) may be provided to form the attachment of the fabric assembly 100a, 100b to the outer garment layer 301 and inner garment layer 307.

The inner garment layer 307 covers the electrically conductive pathway 113a, 113b to prevent the electrically conductive pathway 113a, 113b from forming a conductive connection with the skin surface. The inner garment 307 may not cover the entirety of the fabric articles 100a, 100b or the entirety of the outer layer 301 of the garment. The inner garment 307 may be in the form of a panel. The inner garment layer 307 may be an insulating bonding layer.

The outer layer 301 has a pair of openings 303a, 303b that are aligned with the connection terminals 111a, 111b of the fabric articles 100a, 100b. The connection terminals 111a, 111b may extend at least partially into the openings 303a, 303b. The openings are covered by the pocket 305.

The electronics module 200 is removably received within pocket 305. When positioned in the pocket 305, the interface elements 201a, 201b are able to extend at least partially into the openings 303a, 303b to conductively connect with the connection terminals 111a, 111b.

Additional layers may be provided such as additional waterproofing layers to prevent water ingress into the pocket 305.

In the example of Figures 14 and 15, the pocket 305 is a bonded pocket 305. This is not required. The pocket 305 may be stitched into the outer layer of the garment 301 or may be integrally formed with the outer layer of the garment 301.

Referring to Figure 16, there is shown an example system 1 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The system 1 comprises wearable assembly 10 and a mobile device 400.

The wearable assembly 10 comprises a garment 300. The outer garment layer 301 is visible in Figure 16. One or more fabric articles in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the garment 300 so as to enable the wearable assembly 10 to perform a sensing function. The fabric articles may be integrally formed with the garment 300. For example, the fabric articles may be integrally knit with the garment 300. Alternatively, the fabric articles may be attached to the garment such as by being bonded to an inside surface of the outer garment layer 301 as shown in Figures 14 and 15.

The electronics module 200 is able to be disposed within the pocket 305. When positioned within the pocket 200, the electronics module is able to integrate with one or more sensing components of the fabric articles so as to obtain signals from the sensing components. The electronics module 200 is further arranged to wirelessly communicate data to the mobile device 400. Various protocols enable wireless communication between the electronics module 200 and the mobile device 400. Example communication protocols include Bluetooth 0, Bluetooth 0 Low Energy, and near-field communication (NFC).

The present disclosure is not limited to electronics modules 200 that communicate with mobile devices 400 and instead may communicate with any electronic device capable of communicating directly with the electronics module 200 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 305 for releasably mechanically coupling the electronics module 200 to the garment 300 and other mounting arrangements for the electronics module 200 are within the scope of the present disclosure. The mechanical coupling of the electronic module 200 to the garment 300 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 200 in a particular orientation with respect to the garment 300 when the electronic module 200 is coupled to the garment 300. This may be beneficial in ensuring that the electronic module 200 is securely held in place with respect to the garment 300 and/or that any electronic coupling of the electronic module 200 and the garment 300 (or a component of the garment 300) can be optimized. The mechanical coupling may be maintained using friction or using a positively engaging mechanism, for example.

Beneficially, the removable electronic module 200 may contain all of the components required for data transmission and processing such that the garment 300 only comprises the sensing components. In this way, manufacture of the garment 300 may be simplified. In addition, it may be easier to clean a garment 300 which has fewer electronic components attached thereto or incorporated therein. Furthermore, the removable electronic module 200 may be easier to maintain and/or troubleshoot than embedded electronics. The electronic module 200 may comprise flexible electronics such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The electronic module 200 may be configured to be electrically coupled to the garment 300.

It may be desirable to avoid direct contact of the electronic module 200 with the wearer's skin while the garment 300 is being worn. It may be desirable to avoid the electronic module 200 coming into contact with sweat or moisture on the wearer's skin. The electronic module 200 may be provided with a waterproof coating or waterproof casing. For example, the electronic module 200 may be provided with a silicone casing.

Referring to Figure 17, there is shown a schematic diagram of an example of the electronics module 200. The electronics module 200 comprises an interface 201, a controller 203, a power source 205, and a communicator 207.

The interface 201 is arranged to communicatively couple with the sensing component of the fabric article so as to receive a signal from the sensing component. The controller 203 is communicatively coupled to the interface 201 and is arranged to receive the signals from the interface 201. The interface 201 may form a conductive coupling or a wireless (e.g. inductive) communication coupling in some examples. That is, the connection terminal of the fabric article may be in the form of an antenna for inductively coupling to a corresponding antenna of the interface 201.

The power source 205 is coupled to the controller 203 and is arranged to supply power to the controller 203. The power source 205 may comprise a plurality of power sources. The power source 105 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 205 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 communicator 207 may be a mobile/cellular communicator operable to communicate the data wirelessly via one or more base stations. The communicator 207 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 (WA/AN), a wireless metroarea network (WMAN), a wireless local area network (VVLAN), a wireless personal area network (VVPAN), Bluetooth 0 Low Energy, Bluetooth 0 Mesh, Bluetooth 0 5, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, Ant, a near field communication (NFC), a Global Navigation Sate:lite 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-Ml, 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 200 may comprise a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) that enables the electronics module 200 to access services provided by a mobile network operator (MNO) or virtual mobile network operator (VMNO). The UICC may include at least a read-only memory (ROM) configured to store an MNONMNO profile that the electronics module 200 can utilize to register and interact with an MNONMNO. The UICC may be in the form of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. The electronics module 200 may have a receiving section arranged to receive the SIM card. In other examples, the UICC is embedded directly into the controller 203 of the electronics module 200. That is, the UICC may be an electronic/embedded UICC (eUICC). A eUICC is beneficial as it removes the need to store a number of MNO profiles, i.e. electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs). Moreover, eSIMs can be remotely provisioned to electronics modules 200. The electronics module 200 may comprise a secure element that represents an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC).

The input unit 209 enables the electronics module 200 to receive a user input for controlling the operation of the electronics module 200. The input unit 209 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 200.

In some examples, the input unit 209 comprises a user interface element such as a button. The button may be a mechanical push button.

In some examples, the input unit 209 comprises an antenna. In these examples, the input event is detected by a current being induced in the first antenna. The mobile device 400 is powered to induce a magnetic field in an antenna of the mobile device 400. When the mobile device 400 is placed in the magnetic field of the antenna, the mobile device 400 induces current in the antenna.

In some examples, the input unit 209 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 200 caused by an object being brought into proximity with the electronics module 200. These displacements of the electronics module 200 may be caused by the object being tapped against the electronics module 200. Physical contact between the object and the electronics module 200 is not required as the electronics module 200 may be in a holder such as a pocket 305 of the garment 300. This means that there may be a fabric (or other material) barrier between the electronics module 200 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 200 which will be sensed by the sensor.

Referring to Figure 18, there is shown an exploded view of an example electronics module 200 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The electronics module 200 comprises a communicator 207, printed circuit board 211, power source 205, and interface 201. The interface 201 comprises a magnet 213, and two conductive prongs 215, 217. The electronics module 200 may be the electronics module 200 of Figure 17, but this is not required.

The components of the electronics module 200 are provided within a housing formed of a top enclosure 219 and a bottom enclosure 221. A longitudinal axis 223 extends from the top enclosure 219 to the bottom enclosure 221. The communicator 207 is provided proximate to the top enclosure 219. The bottom enclosure 221 is closest to the body of the wearer in use and the top enclosure 219 is furthest away from the body of the wearer in use. Beneficially, providing the communicator 207 proximate to the top enclosure 219 minimises the communication distance between the communicator 207 and the mobile device 400. This is particularly beneficial when the communicator 207 is a short-range communication antenna 207 such as an NFC antenna 207.

The printed circuit board 211 comprises the controller and input unit amongst other components.

The housing 219, 221 has a circular cross-sectional shape in the example of Figure 18 but this is not required. The housing may have any cross-sectional shape such as oval, square or rectangular.

Referring to Figures 19 and 20, there is shown another example electronics module 200 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The electronics module 200 has a similar internal construction to the electronics module 200 of Figure 18 but has a different structure of interface 201 used to couple the electronics module 200 to the sensing component of the fabric article.

In these Figures, the top enclosure 219 is omitted so that the internal components of the electronics module are visible.

The interface element 201 comprises two conductive pads 223,225 that are adhesively attached to the external surface of the bottom enclosure 221 using adhesive layers 227, 229. The adhesive layers 227, 229 comprise openings 231, 233. These openings 231, 233 are aligned with openings 235, 237 provided in the bottom enclosure 221.

Pogo pins 239,241 extend through openings 235,237 in the bottom enclosure 221 and openings 231, 233 in the adhesive layers 227, 229 so as to electrically connect to the conductive pads 223, 225. The openings 231, 233 in the adhesive layers 227, 229 are larger than the openings 235, 237 in the bottom enclosure 221 to help ensure that adhesive does not interfere with the pogo pin mechanism or cause a potential short circuit. The pogo pins 239, 241 electrically connect the printed circuit board 211 to the conductive pads 223, 225.

Pogo pins 239, 241 are not required in all examples and other forms of force-biased conductor may be used.

The conductive pads 223, 225 are formed from conductive elastomeric material 223, 225. 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 pads 223, 225 may be textured to provide additional grip when positioned on the garment. The texture may be, for example, a ribbed or knurled texture. The elastomeric material 223, 225 shown in Figures 19 and 20 has a ribbed texture. The conductive pads 223, 225 are not required to be formed of elastomeric material other conductive materials such as metals or conductive fabric may be used.

The conductive pads 223, 225 together form a split-ring shape, but other shapes and arrangements are within the scope of the present disclosure.

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. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Claims

An article comprising: a base component having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface; a sensing component attached to the base component, wherein the sensing component comprises: a first conductive region provided on a first surface of the base component to form an electrode for monitoring activity at a body surface; a second conductive region provided on the second surface of the base component and arranged to form a connection terminal for electrically connecting with an electronics module; and a conductive pathway electrically connecting the first conductive region to the second conductive region; and a gripper component provided on the first surface of the base component, wherein the gripper component is arranged to grip the article to the body surface.
An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripper component is provided around at least part of the periphery of the first conductive region An article as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the gripper component is a raised section that extends away from the first surface of the base component.
An article as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a filler material disposed within the gripper component.
An article as claimed in claim 4, wherein the filler material comprises an expanding yarn.
An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the gripper component comprises silicone.
An article as claimed in claim 6, wherein the gripper component comprises silicone yarn.
An article as claimed in claim 7, wherein the gripper component comprises a silicone tape.
An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first and second conductive regions are wider than the conductive pathway.
10. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the conductive pathway extends along the first surface and/or the second surface
11. An article as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first conductive region extends away from the first surface of the base component to form a raised first conductive region.
12. An article as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first conductive region extends from the Fist surface to a greater extent than the gripper component.
13. An article as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the first conductive region extends to a height of between 0.2 mm and 30 mm from the first surface of the base component.
14. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second conductive region extends away from the second surface of the base component to form a raised second conductive region.
15. An article as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second conductive region extends to a height of between 0.2 mm and 30 mm from the second surface of the base component.
16. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the conductive pathway is flush with a surface of the base component.
17. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first conductive region and/or the second conductive region extend away from the base component to a greater extent than the conductive pathway.
18. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the conductive pathway extends through the base component to electrically connect the first conductive region to the second conductive region.
19. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensing component is formed from conductive yarn.
20. An article as claimed in claim 19, wherein the sensing component is a knitted or woven component.
21. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base component is a woven or knitted component.
22. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensing component is integrally formed with the base component so as to form an article of a unitary construction that comprises the base component and the sensing component.
23. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first conductive region is wider than the second conductive region.
24. An article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the article is or is arranged to be integrated in a wearable article, optionally a garment.A method of manufacturing an article, the method comprising: forming a base component having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface; forming a sensing component attached to the base component, wherein the sensing component comprises a first conductive region provided on the first surface of the base component; a second conductive region provided on the second surface of the base component, and a conductive pathway electrically connecting the first conductive region to the second conductive region; and forming a gripper component on the first surface of the base component, wherein the gripper component is arranged to grip the article to the body surface.