• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.733-745
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• 2016

This paper provides a review of wearable textile strain sensors that can measure the deformation of the body surface according to the movements of the wearer. In previous studies, the requirements of textile strain sensors, materials and fabrication methods, as well as the principle of the strain sensing according to sensor structures were understood; furthermore, the factors that affect the sensing performance were critically reviewed and application studies were examined. Textile strain sensors should be able to show piezoresistive effects with consistent resistance-extension in response to the extensional deformations that are repeated when they are worn. Textile strain sensors with piezoresistivity are typically made using conductive yarn knit structures or carbon-based fillers or conducting polymer filler composite materials. For the accuracy and reliability of textile strain sensors, fabrication technologies that would minimize deformation hysteresis should be developed and processes to complement and analyze sensing results based on accurate understanding of the sensors' resistance-strain behavior are necessary. Since light-weighted, flexible, and highly elastic textile strain sensors can be worn by users without any inconvenience so that to enable the users to continuously collect data related to body movements, textile strain sensors are expected to become the core of human interface technologies with a wide range of applications in diverse areas.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.697-707
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• 2019

This review paper deals with materials, classification, and a current article investigation on smart textile sensors for wearable vital signs monitoring (WVSM). Smart textile sensors can lose electrical conductivity during vital signs monitoring when applying them to clothing. Because they should have to endure severe conditions (bending, folding, and distortion) when wearing. Imparting electrical conductivity for application is a critical consideration when manufacturing smart textile sensors. Smart textile sensors fabricate by utilizing electro-conductive materials such as metals, allotrope of carbon, and intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs). It classifies as performance level, fabric structure, intrinsic/extrinsic modification, and sensing mechanism. The classification of smart textile sensors by sensing mechanism includes pressure/force sensors, strain sensors, electrodes, optical sensors, biosensors, and temperature/humidity sensors. In the previous study, pressure/force sensors perform well despite the small capacitance changes of 1-2 pF. Strain sensors work reliably at 1 ㏀/cm or lower. Electrodes require an electrical resistance of less than 10 Ω/cm. Optical sensors using plastic optical fibers (POF) coupled with light sources need light in-coupling efficiency values that are over 40%. Biosensors can quantify by wicking rate and/or colorimetry as the reactivity between the bioreceptor and transducer. Temperature/humidity sensors require actuating triggers that show the flap opening of shape memory polymer or with a color-changing time of thermochromic pigment lower than 17 seconds.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.363.2-363.2
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• 2016

Stretchable strain sensors are becoming essential in diverse future applications, such as human motion detection, soft robotics, and various biomedical devices. One of the well-known approaches for fabricating stretchable strain sensors is to embed conductive nanomaterials such as metal nanowires/nanoparticles, graphene, conducting polymer and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within an elastomeric substrate. Among various conducting nanomaterials, CNTs have been considered as important and promising candidate materials for stretchable strain sensors owing to their high electrical conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. In the past decades, CNT-based strain sensors with high stretchability or sensitivity have been developed. However, CNT-based strain sensors which show both high stretchability and sensitivity have not been reported. Herein, highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors were fabricated by integrating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and nylon textiles via vacuum-assisted spray-layer-by-layer process. Our strain sensors had high sensitivity with 100 % tensile strain (gauge factor ~ 100). Cyclic tests confirmed that our strain sensors showed very robust and reliable characteristic. Moreover, our SWNTs-based strain sensors were easily and successfully integrated on human finger and knee to detect bending and walking motion. Our approach presented here might be route to preparing highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors with providing new opportunity to realize practical wearable devices.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.397-402
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• 2018

Proper seat design is critical to the safety, comfort, and ergonomics of automotive driver's seats. To ensure effective seat design, quantitative methods should be used to evaluate the characteristics of automotive seats. This paper presents a system that is capable of simultaneously monitoring body pressure distribution and surface deformation in a textile material. In this study, a textile-based capacitive sensor was used to detect the body pressure distribution in an automotive seat. In addition, a strain gauge sensor was used to detect the degree of curvature deformation due to high-pressure points. The textile-based capacitive sensor was fabricated from the conductive fabric and a polyurethane insulator with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The strain gauge sensor was attached on the guiding film to maximize the effect of its deformation due to bending. Ten pressure sensors were placed symmetrically in the hip area and six strain gauge sensors were distributed on both sides of the seat cushion. A readout circuit monitored the absolute and relative values from the sensors in realtime, and the results were displayed as a color map. Moreover, we verified the proposed system for quantifying the body pressure and fabric deformation by studying 18 participants who performed three predefined postures. The proposed system showed desirable results and is expected to improve seat safety and comfort when applied to the design of various seat types. Moreover, the proposed system will provide analytical criteria in the design and durability testing of automotive seats.

• Composites Research
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.47-58
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• 2001

This paper describes applications of cure monitoring techniques by using embedded fiber optic strain sensors, which are extrinsic Fabry-Perot interoferometric (EFPI) and/or fiber Bra99 grating (FBG) sensors, to three kinds of molding methods of autoclave, FW and RTM molding methods. In these applications, internal strain of high-temperature curing resin was monitored by EFPI sensors. From theme experimental results, it was shown that strain caused by thermal shrink at cooling stage could be measured well. In addition, several specific matters to these molding methods were considered. As thor an autoclave molding of unidirectional FRP laminates, it was confirmed that off-axis strain of unidirectional FRP could be monitored by EFPI sensors. As for FW molding using room-temperature (RT) cured resin, it was found that the strain outputs from EFPI sensors represented curing shrinkage as well as thermal strain and the convergence meant finish of cure reaction. It was also shown that this curing shrinkage should be evaluated with consideration on logarithmic change in stiffness of matrix resin. As for a RTM melding, both EFPI and FBC sensors were employed to measure strain. The results showed that FBG sensors hale also good potential for strain monitoring at cooling stage, while the non-uniform thermal residual strain of textile affected the FBG spectrum after molding. This study has proven that embedded fiber optic strain sensors hale practical ability of cure monitoring of FRP. However, development of automatic installation methods of sensors remains as a problem to be solved for applications to practical products.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.474-485
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• 2018

Smart sensors and connected devices have changed the concept of garments along with IT technology convergent garments that transform the performance of basic functions. Various types of products have been researched and developed due to the increased interest in smart clothing; in addition, studies based on physical and mechanical properties have also been actively studied to improve accuracy and reliability. This study represents a basic study for the development of smart textiles based on motion recognition for the surfing practice of beginners interested in IT convergence type. A physical durability evaluation of conductive yarn according to sewing method was later carried out. This study is a conditional specimen sewn with cotton lower thread and 100mm pattern length based on the results of previous studies. The durability of the conductive yarn according to the sewing method was evaluated according to the sewing method. Durability was evaluated by two kinds of repeated strain and abrasion tests. The specimen with applied cotton in a lower thread zigzag pattern 2mm stitch size 100mm stitch length was shown to have the most suitable durability for smart textile.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.238-244
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• 2000

FBGs have been extensively used as strain sensors or temperature sensors in a variety of applications related to composites because of embedding ability, small size and multiplexing capability. We inspected embedding environments inside composites with optical fiber by microscope analysis and birefringence characteristics of FBG embedded into textile composite laminate by cure monitoring using a high power WSFL. The cure monitoring of the cases with the striped FBG and the recoated FBG provided comprehensive understandings about the birefringence effect induced by the transverse stress. And these results allowed to consider a recoating method as an important tool to relieve birefringence.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.45-52
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• 2022

Recently, interest in and demand for sensors that recognize physical activity and their products are increasing. In particular, the development of wearable materials that are flexible, stretchable, and able to detect the user's biological signals is drawing attention. In this study, an experiment was conducted to improve the dip-coating efficiency of a single-walled carbon nanotube dispersion solution after fine holes were made in a hydrophobic material with a micro needle. In this study, dip-coating was performed with a material that was not penetrated, and comparative analysis was performed. The electrical conductivity of the sensor was measured when the sensor was stretched using a strain universal testing machine (Dacell Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea) and a multimeter (Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) was used to measure resistance. It was found that the electrical conductivity of a sensor that was subjected to needling was at least 16 times better than that of a sensor that was not. In addition, the gauge factor was excellent, relative to the initial resistance of the sensor, so good performance as a sensor could be confirmed. Here, the dip-coating efficiency of hydrophobic materials, which have superior physical properties to hydrophilic materials but are not suitable due to their high surface tension, can be adopted to more effectively detect body movements and manufacture sensors with excellent durability and usability.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.146-155
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• 2022

We proposed a simple process of creating electroconductive textiles by using PEDOT:PSS(Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate))/non-oxidized graphene to coat polyamide or polyurethane knitted fabric for smart healthcare purposes. Electroconductive textiles were obtained through a coating process that used different amounts of PEDOT:PSS/non-oxidized graphene solutions on polyamide/polyurethane knitted fabric. Subsequently, the surface, electrical, chemical, weight change, and elongation properties were evaluated according to the ratio of PEDOT:PSS/non-oxidized graphene composite(1.3 wt%:1.0 wt%; 1.3 wt%:0.6 wt%; 1.3 wt%:0.3 wt%) and the number of applications(once, twice, or thrice). The specimens' surface morphology was observed by FE-SEM. Further, their chemical structures were characterized using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The electrical properties measurement (sheet resistance) of the specimens, which was conducted by four-point contacts, shows the increase in conductivity with non-oxidized graphene and the number of applications in the composite system. Moreover, a test of the fabrics' mechanical properties shows that PEDOT:PSS/non-oxidized graphene-treated fabrics exhibited less elongation and better ability to recover their original length than untreated samples. Furthermore, the PEDOT:PSS/non-oxidized graphene polyamide/polyurethane knitted fabric was tested by performing tensile operations 1,000 times with a tensile strength of 20%; Consequently, sensors maintained a constant resistance without noticeable damage. This indicates that PEDOT:PSS/non-oxidized graphene strain sensors have sufficient durability and conductivity to be used as smart wearable devices.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is for fundamental research of meditation smart wear for physical and mental healing, and researching method for monitoring phase of meditation through textile by measuring the number of abdominal respiration when meditating. For this purpose, the research implemented Single Wall Carbon Nano-Tube (SWCNT) based strain gauges type textile sensor, considered reliability and validity of respiratory sensing, and analyzed efficiency of respiratory sensing based on body parts comparatively. The first preliminary experiment was to evaluate the performance of textile sensor through abdominal model dummy which open and shut of 5 cm repeatedly for 2 minutes at the rate of 0.1Hz in order to simulate abdominal respiration. It concluded signal efficiency between reference sensor(BIOPAC) and textile respiratory sensor appears statistically significant (p<0.001). The second experiment were conducted with 4 subjects doing abdominal respiration under same conditions, and after comparing the signal values between two sensors from 4 attached locations(around center and sides of omphali and phren), center of omphali and sides of phren were selected as suitable location for measuring meditational breathing as they showed large and stable signals. In result, this research aimed for implementing of the textile sensor for sensing meditational breathing of long respiration cycle, review of reliability and validity for sensing number of meditational respiration with the sensor and consideration of sensing efficiency by sensing location on body parts.