JP2001070106A - Cushion body and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cushion body of a stereoscopic net structure which allows easy recycling. SOLUTION: The cushion body 1 has a net-like cushion material 3 having a three-dimensional random loop net structure and a surface skin material 4 fixed to the net-like cushion material 3 by a resin plate 5. The net-like cushion material 3 has the three-dimensional net structure of 0.005 to 0.2 g/cm2 in apparent density formed by bending and crooking many continuous wire-like bodies 2 of 300 to 100,000 denier in fineness consisting of a thermoplastic resin and fusing the each other's contact parts to each other. The resin plate 5 has junctures 11 for sewing pulling-over parts 4a of the surface skin material 4, front ends 12 to be inserted into the net-like cushion material 3 and stopper parts 13 to be hooked to part of the three-dimensional random loop continuous wire-like bodies 2 of the net-like cushion material 3. The resin plate 5 and the pulling-over parts 4a of the surface skin material 4 are housed in channels 15 formed at the net-like cushion material 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushion body suitable for seats mounted on vehicles such as vehicles, ships and aircraft, or furniture such as sofas and beds, and a method of manufacturing the same. Related to the mounting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a cushion member made of a resin foam such as urethane foam has been widely used as a cushion body used for, for example, a vehicle seat. Also,
A skin material that covers the outside of the cushion material is also fixed with an annular stopper called a hog ring. When fixing the skin material by hog ring, the first wire is buried in the resin foam, a hanging bag is sewn on the back side of the hanging portion of the skin material, and the second wire is inserted into the hanging bag. An operation of hooking a hog ring on both the first wire and the second wire and caulking the hog ring with a tool to connect the first wire and the second wire is performed.

In the case of a cushioning material using a resin foam such as urethane foam, the first wire is set in a mold for molding the resin foam, and this wire is integrated with the resin foam as the resin foam is foamed. Become For this reason, the resin foam and the wire embedded in the resin foam are in a state of being strongly bonded to each other by the bonding force of the resin.

[0004]

In order to recycle the cushion material, it is necessary to separate the skin material and the wire from the cushion material (resin foam). For this reason, the hog ring is cut by a tool to separate the skin material from the cushion material. Although the second wire contained in the hanging bag of the skin material can be easily pulled out, the first wire embedded in the resin foam is strongly bonded to the resin foam, so that the second wire is firmly adhered to the resin foam. It is very difficult to separate the wires from the resin foam. In addition, the work itself of cutting the hog ring with a tool also takes time. For this reason, the dismantling operation requires a great deal of time and cost, and it has been practically difficult to recycle.

[0005] Instead of using the hog ring, it is conceivable to fix the skin material to the cushioning material with a detachable flat fastener such as Velcro (registered trademark) tape. However, this flat fastener is fixed to each of the cushion material and the skin material. There is also a problem that the work of attaching the antenna at a predetermined position is troublesome and the cost is high. Further, when the cushion material and the planar fastener are made of different materials, it is necessary to remove the planar fastener from the cushion material in order to recycle the cushion material, which is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cushion body in which a cushion material and a skin material can be easily disassembled, and which can be easily recycled, and a method of manufacturing the cushion body.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cushion body comprising a thermoplastic resin having a fineness of 3%.
A net-shaped cushion having a three-dimensional net structure having an apparent density of 0.005 to 0.2 g / cm ³ , in which a plurality of continuous linear bodies having a denier of 100 to 100,000 are wound in a loop shape and their contact parts are fused together. Material, a skin material covering the mesh cushion material, a resin plate for fixing the skin material to the mesh cushion material, and a connection portion for sewing a hanging portion of the skin material and inserted into the mesh cushion material. And a resin plate having a retaining portion that can be hooked on the continuous linear body.

In the cushion body according to the present invention, by inserting the tip of the resin plate into the mesh-like cushion material, the retaining portion of the resin plate is caught on a part of the three-dimensional random loop of the continuous linear body, and the surface material of the skin material is formed. The hanging part is fixed. At the time of disassembly for recycling, by applying a force for peeling the skin material from the mesh cushion material, the skin material can be separated from the mesh cushion material by breaking or deforming the retaining portion of the resin plate.

When the same material (for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polyester) as the continuous linear body of the mesh cushion material is used as the material of the resin plate, a part of the resin plate remains on the mesh cushion material after disassembly. Even if it does, the cushioning material can be recycled as it is.

In the case where the resin plate gives a foreign-body sensation when seated, a groove is formed in the mesh-like cushioning material, and the hanging portion of the resin plate and the skin material is accommodated inside the groove. In addition, it is possible to prevent the resin plate from causing a feeling of foreign matter when seated. To form this groove, by pressing a mold heated to a temperature higher than the softening temperature of the mesh cushion material against the mesh cushion material,
The thermoplastic continuous linear body constituting the net-like cushion material is heated and deformed into a groove shape.

When the cushioning material has a curved surface, in order to allow the resin plate to bend along the curved surface, the resin plate may have a cross-sectional shape which is easily deformed in a width direction or a thickness direction. It is preferable that the resin plate is easily inserted into the groove of the cushion material by forming a concave portion in a part of the resin plate.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The cushion body 1 shown in FIG.
A net-shaped cushioning material 3 having a three-dimensional net-like structure in which a continuous linear body 2 of 0 denier or more is meandered in a random loop shape and the contact portions of each loop are fused together.
And a skin material 4 covering the mesh cushion material 3 and a resin plate 5 for fixing the skin material 4.

The cushion body 1 is used, for example, for a seat or a backrest of a vehicle seat of an automobile or the like, and has a main portion 1a to which a load of a seated person is applied, and a raised side support located on both left and right sides of the main portion 1a. The unit 1b is provided. An example of the wire diameter of the continuous linear body 2 is φ1 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, the skin material 4 has a laminated structure of an outer skin 6, a buffer layer 7, a backing fabric 8, and the like.
It is pre-cut to the size required for the cover ring. The buffer layer 7 may be a fiber layer having a thickness of about 8 mm made of an aggregate of fine fibers having a smaller wire diameter than the continuous linear body 2 or a conventional wadding made of a thin urethane foam or the like. .

The hanging portion 4 a of the skin material 4 is fixed to the mesh cushion material 3 by the resin plate 5. The end portion 4b on the periphery of the skin material 4 is fixed to an inconspicuous portion on the back side of the mesh cushion material 3 by a stopper (not shown). The resin plate 5 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as polyester. As shown in an example in FIG. 2, a base 10, a connection portion 11 for sewing the hanging portion 4 a of the skin material 4, and a tip inserted into the mesh cushion material 3. A portion 12 and a retaining portion 13 that can be hooked on the continuous linear body 2 are integrally formed, and are preferably formed of a resin of the same quality as the continuous linear body 2.

The connection section 11 to which the suspension section 4a is sewn
Has an appropriate hardness and thickness so that the sewing thread 14 can be sewn by the sewing machine. Base 10 and connection 1
Numerals 1 are respectively continuous in the longitudinal direction of the resin plate 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tip 12 of the resin plate 5 has a pointed arrowhead shape, and is provided at a plurality of locations at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the resin plate 5. The retaining portion 13 is provided at the tip 12 of the resin plate 5. The retaining portion 13 has such a shape that it protrudes outward from both sides of the distal end portion 12 and faces the base portion 10 so that it can be prevented from returning.

As shown in FIG. 4, a groove 15 is formed in the mesh cushion material 3. Inside the groove 15, the hanging portion 4 a of the resin plate 5 and the skin material 4 is accommodated. By accommodating the resin plate 5 in the groove 15, the resin plate 5 does not protrude from the cushion surface, so that it is possible to avoid a feeling of a foreign object when sitting.

To facilitate deformation of the resin plate 5 in the width direction or the thickness direction of the cushion material 3, FIG.
By making the cross-sectional shape of the base 10 of the resin plate 5 substantially circular or forming a hollow hole 10a in the base 10 as shown in FIG. Further, by forming recesses 11 a at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the resin plate 5 in the connection portion 11 and the like, the resin plate 5 is easily bent in the thickness direction Y. By doing so, the resin plate 5 can be easily bent along the curved surface of the cushion material 3, and the resin plate 5 can be easily inserted into the curved groove 15 of the cushion material 3.

If the apparent density of the mesh cushion material 3 is less than 0.005 g / cm ³ , the resilience is lost and the mesh material 3 is not suitable as a cushion body. The apparent density is 0.
If it exceeds 2 g / cm ³ , the resilience becomes too strong and the sitting comfort becomes poor, so that it is also unsuitable as a cushion body. More preferred apparent density 0.01 g / cm ³ or more and 0.05 g / cm ³ or less.

On the other hand, if the fineness of the continuous linear body 2 is less than 300 denier, the strength is reduced and the repulsive force is reduced, which is not preferable. If the fineness exceeds 100,000 denier, the number of the continuous linear bodies 2 per unit volume decreases, and the compression characteristics deteriorate. That is, it is 300 denier or more, and preferably 400 denier or more and 100,000 denier or less, and more preferably 500 to 50,000, at which a preferable repulsion force is obtained as a cushion body.
Denier.

As the thermoplastic elastic resin which is the material of the continuous linear body 2, a polyester elastomer, a polyamide elastomer, a polyurethane elastomer, or the like can be used. The polyester elastomer is, for example, a polyester ether block copolymer having a thermoplastic polyester as a hard segment and a polyalkylene diol as a soft segment, or a polyester ether block copolymer having an aliphatic polyester as a soft segment. Examples of the polyamide-based elastomer include those having a hard segment of nylon and a soft segment of polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol.

A thermoplastic inelastic resin may be combined with the thermoplastic elastic resin. The thermoplastic inelastic resin is, for example, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane or the like. The combination of the inelastic resin and the thermoplastic elastic resin is preferably a resin of the same type from the viewpoint of recycling use, for example, a combination of a polyester elastomer and a polyester resin, or a polyamide elastomer and a polyamide resin. Or a combination of a polyurethane-based elastomer and a polyurethane-based resin is recommended.

The mesh cushion material 3 is manufactured by a mesh cushion material manufacturing apparatus 20 conceptually shown in FIG. One example of the net-like cushion material manufacturing apparatus 20 is an extruder 2
5 and a nozzle section 26. The extruder 25 extrudes the thermoplastic elastic resin raw material supplied from the material supply port 27 toward the nozzle 26 while heating the raw material to a temperature higher by 10 ° C. to 80 ° C. than the melting point (for example, a temperature higher by 40 ° C.). .

The thermoplastic elastic resin heated to the above-mentioned temperature is discharged downward from the nozzle portion 26, and continuously drops linearly without interruption. If the melting temperature of the thermoplastic elastic resin at the time of discharge is set to a temperature higher by 30 ° C. to 50 ° C. than the melting point of the resin, a random three-dimensional loop is easily formed, and the contact portions between the loops are fused to each other. This is preferable because it can be kept in an easy state.

The nozzle portion 26 has a nozzle effective surface 2 having a predetermined width.
The nozzle effective surface 28 is provided with a large number of nozzles 26a having a hole diameter of about 0.5 mm at a predetermined hole pitch (for example, pitch: 5 mm). The extruder 25 discharges the thermoplastic elastic resin from the nozzle 26a so that the discharge amount per nozzle is 0.5 g to 1.5 g / min. The nozzle effective surface 28 is provided only in an area corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the mesh cushion material 3 to be formed.
6a may be opened. Below the nozzle 26, a liquid surface 30a of a cooling liquid 30 such as water that functions as a cooling unit is located. The cooling liquid 30 is heated to a temperature of, for example, about 70 ° C.

A guide means 31 is provided below the nozzle section 26. The guide means 31 includes the mesh cushion material 3
A pair of endless belts 32 and 33 made of a metal net such as stainless steel and provided with upper and lower rollers 34 and 35 are provided so as to face both surfaces 3a and 3b in the thickness direction. The upper part of each belt 32, 33 has a cooling liquid 30
Is exposed on the liquid surface 30a. These belts 32,
Reference numeral 33 denotes a drive mechanism that uses a motor or the like as a drive source to continuously and endlessly travel between the rollers 34 and 35.

The mesh cushion material 3 having a three-dimensional random loop network structure manufactured by the cushion material manufacturing apparatus 20 is cut into a desired shape by, for example, a cutting machine equipped with a heater wire. As the cutting means, besides using the heater wire, cutting by water jet, cutting by a press die, or cutting by a rotating disk-shaped blade (so-called vertical cutter) may be used. Alternatively, the mesh cushion material 3 may be formed into a desired shape under heat and pressure by hot pressing using a forming die.

Next, a process of manufacturing the cushion body 1 will be described. The thermoplastic elastic resin material is supplied to the extruder 25 of the mesh cushion material manufacturing apparatus 20, the resin material is heated and softened, and the molten thermoplastic elastic resin material is supplied to the nozzle 2
6a, the ink is spontaneously dropped between the belts 32, 33. The molten thermoplastic elastic resin falls between the belts 32 and 33, so that the number of continuous linear bodies 2 corresponding to the number of nozzles 26a is formed, and the linear elastic bodies 2 are sandwiched and stopped between the belts 32 and 33. A random loop occurs while winding. Each of these continuous linear bodies 2 forms a loop in a direction intersecting with the direction A (for example, the direction of the arrow B) while continuing in the direction of the arrow A in FIG.

By setting the pitch of the nozzles 26a so that the loops can contact each other, the loops are brought into contact with each other between the belts 32 and 33, and the contact portions between the loops are fused to form a net having a three-dimensional net-like structure. The cushion material 3 is obtained. By maintaining the temperature of the cooling liquid 30 at the annealing temperature of the continuous linear body 2 (pseudo-crystallization acceleration temperature), the pseudo-crystallization treatment can be simultaneously advanced.

The reticulated cushion material 3 with the fused loop is
The two sides 3a, 3b in the thickness direction are drawn into the coolant 30 while being regulated by the belts 32, 33, and the coolant 3
At the same time as the hardening is performed within 0, the fused portion of each loop is fixed. The mesh-shaped cushion member 3 is formed by continuous lines 2 of a number corresponding to the number of the nozzles 26a being drawn in a random loop without interruption. The cushion material 3 is formed into a desired shape by cutting or hot pressing.

The groove 15 is formed by using a mold 40 as illustrated in FIG. The mold 40 has a shape corresponding to the groove 15 and can be heated by a built-in heater (not shown) to a temperature higher than the softening temperature of the continuous linear body 2 constituting the mesh cushion material 3. It has become. For example, the groove 15 is formed by pressing the mold 40 heated to 230 ° C. against the mesh cushion material 3.

The hanging portion 4a of the skin material 4, which has been cut into a size that can be covered in advance, is sewn to the connecting portion 11 of the resin plate 5 with a sewing thread 14 using a sewing machine or the like. After that, the resin plate 5 and the hanging portion 4 a are inserted into the grooves 15 of the mesh cushion material 3. Then, the distal end portion 12 of the resin plate 5 is inserted into the mesh-like cushion material 3, and FIG.
As shown in the figure, the retaining portion 13 is hooked on the continuous linear body 2 of the three-dimensional random loop. By doing so, the hanging portion 4 a of the skin material 4 is fixed to the mesh cushion material 3. The end portion 4b of the skin material 4 is fixed to the back side of the mesh cushion material 3 by a not-shown stopper.

The reticulated cushion material 3 forms a large number of random three-dimensional loops by winding a continuous linear body 2 of 300 denier or more made of a thermoplastic elastic resin and bringing the loops into contact with each other in a molten state. Most of the contact portions are fused to each other to form a three-dimensional random loop-shaped net-like structure. Therefore, even when a large deformation is given by a large stress, the cushion material 3 absorbs the stress while deforming three-dimensionally with each other, and when the stress is released, the cushion material 3 is formed by the rubber elasticity of the thermoplastic elastic resin. The original shape can be restored. Moreover, since the continuous linear bodies 2 are fused to each other in a molten state, the cushion material 3 does not require a binder, and is made of a single thermoplastic resin, so that it can be easily recycled by re-melting.

When the cushion body 1 is recycled, an external force is applied to the skin material 4 to peel the skin material 4 from the mesh cushion material 3. At that time, since the retaining portion 13 and the like of the resin plate 5 were broken or deformed, the skin material 4 could be separated from the mesh cushion material 3 in only about 10 seconds after the dismantling operation was started. The mesh cushion material 3 from which the skin material 4 has been separated can be cut into chips, for example, or can be made into fine powder and reused as a material recycling material.

The resin plate 5 may have a shape having two or more pairs of retaining portions 13 as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and in short, a connecting portion for sewing the hanging portion of the skin material. 11, a tip portion 12 to be inserted into the mesh cushion material 3, and a retaining portion 13 that can be hooked on a part of a three-dimensional random loop of the continuous linear body 2 may be used.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE Using a general prescription of a soft and highly elastic urethane foam, a hanging wire was set at a predetermined position of a mold whose temperature was previously adjusted to 50 ° C., and a raw material of the urethane foam was prepared. The mixture was adjusted to a temperature of 0 ° C., mixed, poured into a mold, foamed, and released after 10 minutes. Thereafter, the foam was communicated by crushing to obtain a cushion material integrally formed with the hanging wire. A hanging bag was sewn on the back side of the skin material, and a second wire was inserted into the hanging bag. The skin material was fixed to the cushioning material by fixing the second wire and the hanging wire by hog ring using a hog ring gun.

To recycle the cushion material of this comparative example, the hog ring is cut with a tool, and the wire is pulled out of the hanging bag. Further, after the cushion material is cut along the hanging wire with a knife, the hanging wire is peeled off from the cushion material while tearing the cushion material. This dismantling operation required about 8 minutes. In this comparative example, it took a long time to disassemble, and furthermore, it was difficult to recycle practically, for example, urethane foam was firmly attached to the hanging wire.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a cushion body having a three-dimensional random loop net-like cushion material and a skin material having good air permeability, excellent set resistance, and light weight can be recycled. It will be easier. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the resin plate from causing a feeling of foreign matter.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to efficiently manufacture a lightweight cushion body having a three-dimensional random loop network structure cushion material and a skin material, which is excellent in air permeability and cushioning property. Manufacturing costs can be reduced, for example, the process is short and the number of work steps is small.
In addition, the cushion body manufactured by this manufacturing method can be easily dismantled during recycling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a cushion body showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a suspension portion of a skin material and a resin plate used in the cushion body shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a resin plate used for the cushion body shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a mesh cushion material used for the cushion body shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an apparatus for manufacturing the mesh cushion material shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a mold for forming a groove in the mesh cushion material.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a resin plate according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cushion body 2 ... Continuous linear body 3 ... Net-like cushion material 4 ... Skin material 4a ... Hanging part 5 ... Resin plate 11 ... Connecting part 12 ... End part 13 ... Retaining part 14 ... Sewing thread 15 ... Groove

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Susumu Mizobuchi 3-10-10 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Japan F-term (reference) 3B096 AA01 AD04 BA01 4L047 AA21 AA23 AA25 AA28 AB03 AB07 BA09 BD03 CA15 CB10 CC07 CC09 CC16 EA05

Claims (3)

[Claims] A fineness of a thermoplastic resin of 300 to 100.
A net-shaped cushion material having a three-dimensional net structure having an apparent density of 0.005 to 0.2 g / cm ³ , in which a plurality of continuous linear bodies having a denier of 000 are wound in a loop shape and their contact portions are fused together. A covering material that covers the mesh cushion material; a resin plate for fixing the skin material to the mesh cushion material; a connection portion that sew a hanging portion of the skin material; and a plug that is inserted into the mesh cushion material. A cushion body comprising: a resin plate having a tip portion and a retaining portion that can be hooked on the continuous linear body. 2. The cushion body according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in said mesh cushion material, and said resin plate is accommodated inside said groove. 3. A net having a three-dimensional net structure by discharging a softened thermoplastic resin from a plurality of nozzles, thereby winding a plurality of continuous linear bodies in a loop shape and fusing the contact portions of each other. A step of forming a cushion material; a step of forming a groove in the mesh-like cushion material; and inserting a resin plate on which a suspension portion of a skin material is sewn into the groove, and attaching a tip end of the resin plate to the mesh-like cushion material. And fixing the hanging portion of the skin material to the mesh-like cushion material by hooking the retaining portion formed on the resin plate to the continuous linear body. How to make the body.