Textile connector for an electronic textile having a snap fastener with contacts

1. A textile connector comprising:

a snap fastener having first and second snap segments configured to be snap fastened together such that an electronic textile is mechanically secured therebetween with the first snap segment on one side of the electronic textile and the second snap segment on an opposite side of the electronic textile;

a first contact held by the snap fastener, the first contact configured to be electrically connected to a first conductor of the electronic textile to define a first signal line; and

a second contact held by the snap fastener, the second contact configured to be electrically connected to a second conductor of the electronic textile to define a second signal line;

wherein the first and second signal lines transmit different data signals from the electronic textile to an electronic component mounted to the electronic textile.

2. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first contact is a ring having a first diameter and the second contact is a ring having a second diameter larger than the first diameter.

3. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first contact overlaps the first conductor at a first overlap region and is electrically connected thereto, the second contact overlaps the second conductor at a second overlap region and is electrically connected thereto.

4. The textile connector of claim 3 , wherein the second contact overlaps the first conductor at a third overlap region and is electrically isolated therefrom by the snap fastener.

5. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first snap segment includes a first groove and a second groove, the first contact received in first groove, the second contact received in the second groove.

6. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first snap segment includes a connecting segment for connecting the snap fastener to the electronic component, the first and second contacts extending circumferentially around the connecting segment.

7. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first contact includes a main body and a projection extending therefrom, the main body being held by the first snap segment, the projection extending through the first snap segment to engage the first conductor.

8. The textile connector of claim 7 , wherein the projection pierces the electronic textile at or near the first conductor to electrically engage the first conductor; the projection engaging the second snap segment such that the projection is sandwiched between the first and second snap segment.

9. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first snap segment includes a flange and a connecting segment, the flange including a first groove receiving the first contact and a second groove receiving the second contact; the second snap segment includes a flange and a connecting segment where the connecting segment of either the first or the second snap segment passes through the electronic textile to couple the first snap segment to the second snap segment such that the electronic textile is captured between the flanges of the first and second snap segments.

10. The textile connector of claim 9 , wherein the first and second contacts include projections extending through the flange of the first snap segment to engage the first and second conductors, respectively, between the flanges of the first and second snap segments.

11. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the first snap segment is manufactured from a dielectric material to electrically isolate the first contact from the second contact.

12. The textile connector of claim 1 , wherein the snap fastener is configured to be snap-fastened to a snap fastener of a mating connector holding first and second mating contacts configured to be electrically connected to first and second conductors of the electronic component, the first contact being electrically connected to the first mating contact and the second contact being electrically connected to the second mating contact.

13. A textile connector comprising:

a snap fastener having first and second snap segments each having a connecting segment and a flange surrounding the connecting segment, the connecting segments configured to be snap fastened together with an electronic textile mechanically secured between the flanges of the first and second snap segments, the first snap segment having a first groove and a second groove, the flange of the first snap segment surrounding the first and second grooves being dielectric;

a first contact received in the first groove, the first contact configured to be electrically connected to a first conductor of the electronic textile to define a first signal line; and

a second contact received in the second groove and electrically isolated from the first contact by the dielectric flange of the first snap segment, the second contact configured to be electrically connected to a second conductor of the electronic textile to define a second signal line;

wherein the first and second signal lines transmit different data signals from the electronic textile to an electronic component mounted to the electronic textile.

14. The textile connector of claim 13 , wherein the first contact is a ring having a first diameter and the second contact is a ring having a second diameter larger than the first diameter.

15. The textile connector of claim 13 , wherein the first contact overlaps the first conductor at a first overlap region and is electrically connected thereto, the second contact overlaps the second conductor at a second overlap region and is electrically connected thereto, and wherein the second contact overlaps the first conductor at a third overlap region and is electrically isolated therefrom by the dielectric flange of the first snap segment.

16. The textile connector of claim 13 , wherein the first contact includes a main body and a projection extending therefrom, the main body being held by the first snap segment, the projection extending through the first snap segment to engage the first conductor.

17. The textile connector of claim 16 , wherein the projection pierces the electronic textile at or near the first conductor to electrically engage the first conductor; the projection engaging the second snap segment such that the projection is sandwiched between the first and second snap segment.

18. A wearable electronic assembly comprising:

an electronic textile having textile material and first and second conductors interspersed with the textile material;

at least one electronic component mounted to the electronic textile; and

a wearable textile connector electrically connecting the first and second conductors and the electronic connector, the textile connector comprising:

a snap fastener having first and second snap segments configured to be snap fastened together such that the electronic textile is mechanically secured therebetween with the first snap segment on one side of the electronic textile and the second snap segment on an opposite side of the electronic textile;

a first contact held by the snap fastener, the first contact configured to be electrically connected to the first conductor of the electronic textile to define a first signal line; and

a second contact held by the snap fastener, the second contact configured to be electrically connected to the second conductor of the electronic textile to define a second signal line;

wherein the first and second signal lines transmit different data signals from the electronic textile to an electronic component mounted to the electronic textile.

19. The wearable electronic assembly of claim 18 , wherein the electronic component includes a mating connector having a snap fastener holding first and second mating contacts terminated to a circuit board, the snap fastener of the textile connector configured to be snap fastened to the snap fastener of the mating connector such that the first contact is electrically connected to the first mating contact and the second contact is electrically connected to the second mating contact.

20. The wearable electronic assembly of claim 18 , wherein the first contact includes a main body and a projection extending therefrom, the main body being held by the first snap segment, the projection extending through the first snap segment and piercing the electronic textile at or near the first conductor to electrically engage the first conductor.