Flat-Knitted Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors: An Investigation of the Influence of the Knitting Structure on the Electromechanical Properties

This paper explores how the sensor characteristic of a multilayered flat-knitted pressure sensor can be adjusted for different applications through knitting technology. We investigate the influence of the type of attachment (e.g. with a binding yarn, by interlacing the layers), the position of the attachment and the type of knitting stitch of the individual knitting layers of the sensor on the electromechanical properties of the knitted sensor. The finding of the study is that connecting the sensor layers in the gaps between the interdigitated electrodes using the functional layer itself provides reliable and reproducible sensor behaviour. Furthermore, we demonstrate that it is possible to produce a 3D-knitted glove with integrated knitted pressure sensors.