Fully integrated embroidery process for smart textiles

摘要

In this article, the design, process and characterization of textile sensors for vital signals sensing are presented. Textile electrodes and piezoresistive sensors and respective interconnect plate for the monitoring of cardiac and pulmonary signals, were fully produced with a 6-head digital embroidery machine and electrically conductive commercial yarns. The waveforms were acquired via PC with a data acquisition module and Labview program. The signal to noise ratio of textile electrodes having surfaces that were either textured or smooth accordingly with the embroidery pattern used, were analyzed with Matlab. The quantitative method indicated differences between the two types of textile electrodes but performances comparable to Ag/AgCl gel electrodes. The sensors and respective interconnect plate, all realized with textile fabrics and threads by means of an embroidery machine, have a compact design, are lightweight, washable and suitable for integration in clothing. The method of production only involves the embroidery stitching technique, and has great versatility in terms of sensor size, surface texture and integrating materials.