Page 21 - 2020 Interconnect Innovations eBook

a wired network. These networks, which can take the form of a smart tactical vest or an industrial personal protective equipment vest, serve as a hub for a modular array of communications systems and active devices interconnected through a central bus switch and powered by a single central battery.
IMAGE
» The Fischer Freedom Series technology platform was extended in late 2020 with new products that further enhance the integration capabilities of Fischer LP360 connectors, cable assemblies, and active devices. The new Fischer Freedom Series Quick Detach System shown here consists of an adapter, a sewing junction, and a retaining ring that allows integrators to sew receptacles (such as the cabled receptacle with seven signal and power contacts pictured here) into the fabric of smart vests and other portable or wearable devices and ecosystems.
These networks also optimize cable management by avoiding long, easily twisted and tangled breakout cables on the outside of the equipment or leveraging direct integration technology, doing away with cables entirely, and creating cable-free ecosystems that embed wiring, communications, and power systems inside, which also provides space and weight savings.
Case 1: Wearin’s Connected Vest — A Centralized, Integrated Connectivity System
Holistic wearable ecosystems offer exciting examples of innovation underpinned by a connectivity-by-design approach. Wearin’, a spin-off from the Fischer Connectors Group, provides wearable connectivity solutions for connected humans in the defense, security, and industrial sectors. One solution is its connected tactical vest for infantry soldiers or security officers in the field. This centralized, integrated connectivity system has an embedded distributed data and power bus that can eliminate the need for multiple batteries (some dismounted soldiers can require up to 70 batteries to power the equipment assigned to them), as well as external wires and breakout cables that can weigh soldiers down and restrict their movements. The vest works as a hub, offering optimized power management via a single central power source, enhanced usability via the mating freedom and optimized cable management of plug-and-play connectors, and convenience via the integrated data and power bus, which enables easy cleaning, connectivity, and even replacement when more technologically advanced components become available.
21