CN107708636B

CN107708636B - Absorbent article

Info

Publication number: CN107708636B
Application number: CN201680038918.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谷尾俊幸; 藤田智之
Original assignee: Unicharm Corp
Current assignee: Unicharm Corp
Priority date: 2015-06-30
Filing date: 2016-05-30
Publication date: 2020-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 2036-05-30
Also published as: PH12017550151B1; TWI717361B; KR20180023907A; TW201717871A; KR102565575B1; CN107708636A; PH12017550151A1; WO2017002503A1; JP6045655B1; JP2017012455A; MY177582A

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an absorbent article that exerts a moderate cooling effect at an early stage and that exerts a moderate cooling effect for a long period of time. The absorbent article of the present disclosure has the following structure. An absorbent article (1) is provided with: a skin contact piece (17); a clothing contact sheet (21); and microcapsules (55) containing a cooling component, wherein the skin contact sheet (17) comprises a fabric containing fibers, the fiber density of the fibers on the skin contact surface (15) side of the skin contact sheet (17) is higher than the fiber density of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface (57) side of the skin contact sheet (17), the skin contact sheet (17) contains the microcapsules (55) therein, and the number density of the microcapsules (55) on the skin contact surface (15) side of the skin contact sheet (17) is lower than the number density of the microcapsules (55) on the non-skin contact surface (57) side of the skin contact sheet (17).

Description

Absorbent article

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles.

Background

In absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners and the like, basic performance is improved by technological development accumulated over the years, and leakage and the like are less likely to occur after absorption of excreta such as menstrual blood than before, and absorbent articles having further improved cooling performance, for example, an aromatic function, a panty liner and the like, are being developed.

Patent document 1 describes an absorbent article which is intended to prevent excessive irritation to the wearer and reliably suppress discomfort due to stuffiness, stickiness, and the like. The absorbent article of patent document 1 includes: a top sheet having a contact surface that contacts the skin of a wearer; a liquid-impermeable back sheet through which liquid does not pass; and an absorber disposed between the front sheet and the back sheet, wherein a material containing a cooling agent is provided between the front sheet and the back sheet, and the material containing the cooling agent is disposed on both sides in the width direction of the absorber.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent application No. 2010-234027

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the absorbent article described in patent document 1, the cooling agent is disposed between the front sheet and the back sheet, and the front sheet is present between the cooling agent and the wearer, so that the distance between the cooling agent and the wearer is long, and excessive irritation to the wearer can be suppressed, but it tends to take a long time until the wearer actually feels the action of the cooling agent.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an absorbent article that exerts a moderate cooling effect at an early stage and exerts a moderate cooling effect for a long period of time.

Means for solving the problems

The present disclosure has been made to provide an absorbent article including: a skin abutment tab; a clothing abutment sheet; and microcapsules containing a cooling component, wherein the skin contact sheet includes a fabric containing fibers, the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet have a higher fiber density than the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, the skin contact sheet contains the microcapsules therein, and the number density of the microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of the microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

The absorbent article of the present disclosure can exert a moderate cooling effect at an early stage and a moderate cooling effect for a long period of time.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of an absorbent article 1 of embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the absorbent article 1 shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view at section III-III of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the area IV of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the method of manufacturing the absorbent article 1 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the method of manufacturing the absorbent article 1 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the method of manufacturing the absorbent article 1 of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure relates to the following aspects.

[ form 1]

An absorbent article comprising: a skin abutment tab; a clothing abutment sheet; microcapsules containing a cooling component, characterized in that,

the skin contact sheet includes a fabric including fibers, the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet have a fiber density higher than the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and the skin contact sheet is bonded to the skin,

the skin contact sheet contains the microcapsules therein, and the number density of the microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of the microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet.

In the absorbent article according to embodiment 1, the fiber density of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is higher than the fiber density of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and the number density of the microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of the microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet. As a result, the microcapsules and the cooling component are not easily brought into direct contact with the wearer and do not easily irritate the skin of the wearer, and on the other hand, the microcapsules and the cooling component are present in the vicinity of the wearer, and therefore, the cooling effect of the cooling component can be rapidly provided to the wearer. In addition, the microcapsules are widely distributed in the thickness direction of the absorbent article, and therefore, the cooling effect of the cooling component can be provided for a long period of time. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 1 has an effect of providing an appropriate cooling effect as soon as possible and for a long period of time.

[ form 2]

The absorbent article according to aspect 1, wherein the absorbent article further includes an adhesive section applied to the non-skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet, and the adhesive section holds the microcapsules.

In the absorbent article described in embodiment 2, since the microcapsules are held in the adhesive portion applied to the non-skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet, even when the wearer wearing the absorbent article moves, the position of the microcapsules is less likely to change, and the microcapsules are less likely to move to the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet. As a result, excessive irritation (cooling effect) is not easily given to the skin of the wearer. Therefore, the absorbent article described in embodiment 2 has an effect of imparting an appropriate cooling effect of the cooling component to the skin of the wearer.

[ form 3]

The absorbent article according to mode 1 or 2, wherein the fiber diameter of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is smaller than the fiber diameter of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet.

In the absorbent article according to mode 3, the fiber diameter of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is smaller than the fiber diameter of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet. As a result, in addition to the aspect in which the number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is easily lower than the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, microcapsules are less likely to move to the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 3 has an effect of providing an appropriate cooling effect as soon as possible and for a long period of time.

[ form 4]

The absorbent article according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the absorbent article does not have the microcapsule on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet.

The absorbent article described in embodiment 4 does not have microcapsules on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet, and therefore, does not easily cause excessive stimulation of the cooling component (cooling effect) to the skin of the wearer. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 4 has an effect of imparting an appropriate cooling effect of the cooling component to the skin of the wearer.

[ form 5]

The absorbent article according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein 90% by mass or more of the microcapsules have a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm.

In the absorbent article according to embodiment 5, 90% by mass or more of the microcapsules have a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm, and therefore, the following configuration is easily formed: the number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and the absorbent article does not have the microcapsules on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 5 has an effect of providing an appropriate cooling effect as soon as possible and for a long period of time.

[ form 6]

The absorbent article according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the microcapsules are encapsulated in a material selected from the group consisting of 4: 1-1: the mass ratio of 4 includes a fraction having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 60 μm and a fraction having a particle diameter of 60 μm or more and less than 80 μm.

In the absorbent article according to embodiment 6, since the microcapsules have a specific particle diameter, the following configuration is easily formed: the number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and the absorbent article does not have the microcapsules on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 6 has an effect of providing an appropriate cooling effect as soon as possible and for a long period of time.

[ form 7]

The absorbent article according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein,

the absorbent article may further include an auxiliary sheet provided between the skin contact sheet and the clothing contact sheet, the auxiliary sheet containing the microcapsules at a number density smaller than a number density of the microcapsules between a center surface of the skin contact sheet in a thickness direction and the non-skin contact surface.

In the absorbent article according to embodiment 7, since the auxiliary sheet contains microcapsules at a predetermined number density, the microcapsules are widely distributed in the thickness direction of the absorbent article. Therefore, the absorbent article described in embodiment 7 has an effect of applying a cooling effect to the skin of the wearer for a long period of time.

[ form 8]

The absorbent article according to mode 7, wherein the absorbent article further comprises an adhesive section applied to a surface of the auxiliary sheet on the skin contact sheet side, the adhesive section holding the microcapsules.

In the absorbent article described in embodiment 8, since the microcapsules are held in the adhesive portion applied to the surface of the auxiliary sheet on the skin contact sheet side, even when the wearer wearing the absorbent article moves, the position of the microcapsules does not easily change, and the microcapsules do not easily move to the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet. As a result, excessive stimulation of the cooling component (cooling effect) is not easily given to the skin of the wearer. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 8 has an effect of imparting an appropriate cooling effect of the cooling component to the skin of the wearer.

[ form 9]

The absorbent article according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the absorbent article includes: an absorbent article main body; and a pair of flap portions extending from the absorbent article main body to both sides in the width direction of the absorbent article, wherein the skin contact piece and the garment contact piece form the pair of flap portions.

In the absorbent article according to embodiment 9, the pair of flap portions are provided with the microcapsules, and the cooling effect of the cooling component can be provided for a long period of time without giving excessive stimulation of the cooling component (cooling effect) to the buttocks and the like which are prone to getting stuffy. Therefore, the absorbent article according to embodiment 9 has an effect of providing an appropriate cooling effect as soon as possible and for a long period of time.

The absorbent article of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate.

Fig. 1 to 4 are views for explaining an absorbent article 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment 1"). In detail, fig. 1 is a front view of an absorbent article 1, specifically, a sanitary napkin according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the absorbent article 1 shown in fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view at section III-III of fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the area IV of fig. 3. In fig. 3, the microcapsule existing region 51 and the microcapsule 55, and the adhesive section 59 and the adhesive section 63 are omitted.

The absorbent article 1 has a longitudinal direction L and a width direction W, and has: an absorbent article main body portion 3 extending along the longitudinal direction L; a pair of side flaps 5 extending outward in the width direction W from the absorbent article body 3; and a pair of hip flap portions 7. The pair of side flaps 5 are disposed near the center in the longitudinal direction L of the absorbent article 1. The pair of hip flap portions 7 are disposed rearward of the absorbent article 1 and extend to the rear end in the longitudinal direction L of the absorbent article 1.

The absorbent article main body portion 3 includes: a liquid-permeable sheet 9; a liquid-impermeable sheet 11; and an absorbent body 13 between the liquid-permeable sheet 9 and the liquid-impermeable sheet 11. The pair of side flap portions 5 of the absorbent article 1 includes: a skin contact piece 17 having a skin contact surface 15; a garment abutment piece 21 having a garment abutment surface 22; and an auxiliary piece 19 between the skin abutment piece 17 and the clothing abutment piece 21. Further, the pair of hip flaps 7 also includes, similarly to the pair of side flaps 5: a skin contact piece 17 having a skin contact surface 15; a garment abutment piece 21 having a garment abutment surface 22; and an auxiliary piece 19 between the skin abutment piece 17 and the clothing abutment piece 21.

In the absorbent article 1, the absorbent article body portion 3 has the adhesive portion 23 fixed to the liquid-impermeable sheet 11, and the absorbent article 1, specifically, the absorbent article body portion 3 is fixed to the inside of the clothing of the wearer by the adhesive portion 23.

The absorbent article 1 has: a compressed section 29 formed in the absorbent article main body section 3 and formed by compressing the liquid-permeable sheet 9 and the absorber 13; an opening 35 that penetrates the liquid-permeable sheet 9 and the absorber 13; and a seal portion 37 (compression portion) formed by compressing the liquid-permeable sheet 9 and the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 for sealing the outer edge of the absorbent article 1.

The liquid-permeable sheet 9 of the absorbent article main body 3, the skin contact sheet 17 of the side panel 5, and the skin contact sheet 17 of the hip panel 7 are formed of a single sheet (nonwoven fabric) in a continuous manner. The liquid-impermeable sheet 11 of the absorbent article main body 3, the garment contacting sheet 21 of the side panel 5, and the garment contacting sheet 21 of the hip panel 7 are formed of a single sheet (film) in a continuous manner.

The absorbent article 1 has: a folded-back portion 41 formed by three-folding the liquid-permeable sheet 9 outward; and a compressed portion 33 formed by compressing the folded-back portion 41. The folded-back portion 41 forms a leakage preventing wall for preventing the absorbed body fluid from flowing in the width direction of the absorbent article, that is, in the direction from the absorbent article main body 3 to the side flap portions 5 and the hip flap portion 7.

In the absorbent article 1, the liquid-permeable sheet 9 of the absorbent article main body 3 is a nonwoven fabric having a plurality of raised strips 43 extending along the longitudinal direction L and a plurality of grooves 47 disposed between the raised strips 43. The skin contact sheet 17 of the side flap 5 is a nonwoven fabric having a plurality of ridges 45 extending in the longitudinal direction L and a plurality of grooves 49 disposed between the ridges 45. The same applies to the hip flap 7. In fig. 1, the raised

portions

43 and 45, and the

grooves

47 and 49 are omitted for convenience.

The pair of side flap portions 5 have a pair of bonded portions 25 fixed to the garment contacting surface 22 of the garment contacting sheet 21, and the absorbent article 1, specifically, the pair of side flap portions 5 are fixed to the outside of the garment of the wearer by the pair of bonded portions 25 after being folded so as to face the liquid impermeable sheet 11 with the bonded portions 25 interposed therebetween.

The pair of hip flap portions 7 have a pair of adhesive portions 27 fixed to the garment contact surface 22 of the garment contact piece 21, and the pair of hip flap portions 7 are fixed to the inside of the wearer's garment by the pair of adhesive portions 27 without being folded.

The pair of side flap portions 5 have a seal portion 39 formed by compressing the skin contact piece 17 and the clothing contact piece 21, and seal the outer edge of the absorbent article 1. The pair of hip flap portions 7 has a compressed portion 31, and the compressed portion 31 is formed by compressing the skin contact piece 17 having the skin contact surface 15, the auxiliary piece 19, and the clothing contact piece 21. The pair of hip flap portions 7 has a seal portion 39 formed by compressing the skin contact piece 17, the garment contact piece 21, and the auxiliary sheet 19 selected as desired, and seals the outer edge of the absorbent article 1.

The pair of side flap portions 5 and the pair of hip flap portions 7 have microcapsule-existing regions 51, respectively. As shown in fig. 4, in the microcapsule-existing region 51, the microcapsules 55 containing a cooling component are present inside the skin contact sheet 17, and the number density of the microcapsules 55 on the skin contact surface 15 side of the skin contact sheet 17 is lower than the number density of the microcapsules 55 on the non-skin contact surface 57 side of the skin contact sheet 17. In addition, although not shown, in embodiment 1, skin contact sheet 17 is formed of a fabric, and the fiber density of skin contact sheet 17 on the skin contact surface 15 side is higher than the fiber density of skin contact sheet 17 on the non-skin contact surface 57 side.

In this way, the cooling effect of the cooling component in the microcapsules 55 can be more rapidly exerted on the wearer than in the case where the microcapsules 55 are present only between the skin contact sheet 17 and the auxiliary sheet 19. Further, the number density of the microcapsules 55 on the skin contact surface 15 side of the skin contact piece 17 is lower than the number density of the microcapsules 55 on the non-skin contact surface 57 side of the skin contact piece 17, and the fiber density on the skin contact surface 15 side of the skin contact piece 17 is higher than the fiber density on the non-skin contact surface 57 side of the skin contact piece 17, so that the microcapsules 55 are less likely to be present on the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact piece 17, the cooling component in the microcapsules 55 is less likely to be in direct contact with the skin of the wearer, and excessive stimulation of the cooling component (cooling effect) is less likely to be given to the skin of the wearer.

As shown in fig. 4, in embodiment 1, the absorbent article 1 includes an adhesive section 59 applied to the non-skin contact surface 57 of the skin contact sheet 17, specifically, to the non-skin contact surface 57 of the skin contact sheet 17. The adhesive section 59 is applied to the non-skin contact surface 57 of the skin contact sheet 17 in a wavy application pattern, and covers a part of the non-skin contact surface 57 of the skin contact sheet 17. The adhesive section 59 bonds the skin contact sheet 17 and the auxiliary sheet 19, and, although not shown in fig. 4, holds the microcapsules 55 present outside the skin contact sheet 17, specifically, the microcapsules 55 present between the skin contact sheet 17 and the auxiliary sheet 19.

Thus, the microcapsules 55 are less likely to move to the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact sheet 17, the microcapsules 55 are less likely to be present on the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact sheet 17, the refreshing component in the microcapsules 55 is less likely to directly contact the skin of the wearer, and excessive stimulation (refreshing action) of the refreshing component is less likely to be given to the skin of the wearer.

As shown in fig. 4, the absorbent article 1 according to embodiment 1 does not have the microcapsules 55 on the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact sheet 17. Thus, the cooling component in the microcapsule 55 is less likely to come into direct contact with the skin of the wearer, and it is less likely to give excessive stimulation (cooling effect) of the cooling component to the skin of the wearer.

As shown in fig. 4, in the absorbent article 1 according to embodiment 1, the auxiliary sheet 19 contains microcapsules 55 in the auxiliary sheet 19 at a number density smaller than the number density of the microcapsules 55 between the center surface 65 in the thickness direction of the skin contact sheet 17 and the non-skin contact surface 57. Thus, the microcapsules 55 are widely distributed in the thickness direction of the absorbent article 1, and therefore, the cooling effect of the cooling component can be provided for a long period of time.

In the present specification, the thickness (mm) of the center plane defining the thickness direction is measured as follows.

FS-60DS (measuring surface 44mm (diameter)) manufactured by Daorhizi Seiki Kaisha, Ltd is prepared, and the measuring pressure is 3g/cm²]In a standard state (temperature 23. + -. 2 ℃ C., relative humidity 50. + -.5%), 5 different parts of the absorbent body were pressurized, and the thickness of each part after 10 seconds of pressurization was measured, and the average of the 5 measured values was defined as the thickness.

As shown in fig. 4, the absorbent article 1 according to embodiment 1 includes an adhesive section 63 applied to the skin contact piece side surface 61 of the auxiliary sheet 19. The adhesive portion 63 is applied to the skin contact piece side surface 61 of the auxiliary sheet 19 in a wavy application pattern, and covers a part of the skin contact piece side surface 61 of the auxiliary sheet 19. The adhesive section 63 joins the auxiliary sheet 19 and the skin contact sheet 17, and holds the microcapsules 55 present between the auxiliary sheet 19 and the skin contact sheet 17, although not shown in fig. 4.

Thus, the microcapsules 55 are less likely to move to the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact sheet 17, the microcapsules 55 are less likely to be present on the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact sheet 17, the refreshing component in the microcapsules 55 is less likely to directly contact the skin of the wearer, and excessive stimulation (refreshing action) of the refreshing component is less likely to be given to the skin of the wearer. Further, since the adhesive section 63 holds the microcapsules 55 even at a position distant from the skin contact surface 15 of the skin contact sheet 17, the microcapsules 55 are widely distributed in the thickness direction of the absorbent article 1, and the absorbent article 1 can cause the refreshing component in the microcapsules 55 to act on the wearer for a long period of time.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the skin contact sheet is made of a fabric containing fibers. In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the fiber density of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is preferably higher than the fiber density of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet. This is because the number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is easily lower than the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and the microcapsules are easily not present on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet.

The fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet include fibers between the center surface of the skin contact sheet in the thickness direction and the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet. In addition, as the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, fibers between the center surface of the skin contact sheet in the thickness direction and the non-skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet can be cited.

In the present specification, the fiber density of the skin contact sheet is determined by immersing a sample in liquid nitrogen, dividing the immersed sample into two parts, and observing the cross section with a microscope, for example, an electron microscope or an optical microscope.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the grammage of the microcapsules also varies depending on the concentration, amount, and the like of the cooling component incorporated therein, and is preferably 0.5g/m²～12g/m²And, more preferably, 1.0g/m²～10g/m². If the gram weight is less than 0.5g/m²When the gram weight exceeds 12g/m, the effect of the cooling component contained in the microcapsule may be hardly exhibited²In some cases, the skin of the wearer may be excessively irritated (cooled).

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and as the region on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, a region between the center surface of the center in the thickness direction of the skin contact sheet and the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet can be mentioned. In addition, as the region on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, a region between the center surface of the skin contact sheet in the thickness direction and the non-skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet can be mentioned.

In the present specification, the number density of microcapsules was visually determined in the same manner as the fiber density of the skin contact sheet. In addition, from the viewpoint of visibility, the microcapsules may be colored or the like. For example, when the microcapsule is formed of water-soluble starch, coloring can be performed with iodine or the like.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the fiber diameter of the fiber on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is preferably smaller than the fiber diameter of the fiber on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and more preferably, the fiber diameter of the fiber on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is 0.20 to 0.90 times, further preferably 0.25 to 0.80 times, and further preferably 0.30 to 0.70 times the fiber diameter of the fiber on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet. Since the fiber diameter of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is smaller than the fiber diameter of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, microcapsules are less likely to be present on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet, the refreshing component in the microcapsules is less likely to be in direct contact with the skin of the wearer, and excessive stimulation (refreshing action) of the refreshing component is less likely to be given to the skin of the wearer.

In the present specification, a sample is immersed in liquid nitrogen, the immersed sample is divided into two parts, a cross-sectional image thereof is taken with a microscope such as an electron microscope, arbitrary 50 points of the fiber diameter of the fiber are measured from the image, and the average value thereof is calculated to determine the fiber diameter.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the microcapsule is a capsule having a size of 1 μm to 1000 μm in diameter and having a space in which a core material (2 nd functional component) is embedded.

The capsule is not particularly limited in its external shape as long as it can contain a core material and control the release of the core material, and examples thereof include external shapes such as a spherical shape and an irregular shape. The capsule may be a single-core type having 1 space for holding the core material, or a multi-core type having a plurality of spaces for holding the core material. Examples of the shape of the space include a spherical shape, an irregular shape, and the like.

Examples of the microcapsules include those having a spherical appearance and a multi-core space.

Preferably, the microcapsules are water-disintegrable microcapsules.

The water-disintegrable microcapsules release the incorporated refreshing components by contacting them with a liquid (aqueous solution) such as a body fluid. Specifically, when the water-disintegrable microcapsules are brought into contact with a liquid, the raw material of the microcapsules is dissolved in water and disintegrated, and when the microcapsules are brought into contact with a liquid, the microcapsules swell in water and the strength thereof is reduced, and the microcapsules are destroyed and disintegrated, whereby a refreshing component is released.

The water-disintegrable microcapsules preferably have a water solubility at 25 ℃ of 10 to 300g, more preferably 20 to 200g, and further preferably 30 to 100g, relative to 100g of water.

The water solubility was measured by the flask method of OECD Standard No.105, except that the test temperature was set to 25 ℃.

Examples of the material for the microcapsules include those known in the art, and examples thereof include saccharides, such as monosaccharides (e.g., glucose), disaccharides (e.g., sucrose), polysaccharides (e.g., dextrin, glucomannan, sodium alginate, and water-soluble starch), gelatin, and water-soluble polymers (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate).

The cooling component that can be contained in the microcapsules includes cooling components known in the art as cooling materials, and examples thereof include cooling components acting on receptor activation channels (TRPM8) of nerves present in the skin, menthol (e.g., l-menthol) and derivatives thereof, methyl salicylate, camphor, essential oils derived from plants (e.g., mint, eucalyptus), and the like. Further, examples of the cooling component include cooling components that lower the ambient temperature by the heat of vaporization, such as alcohols, for example, methanol and ethanol.

Microcapsules containing a cooling component are commercially available, and examples thereof include INCAP (trademark) commercially available from deltoin corporation.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, it is preferable that 90% by mass or more of the above-mentioned microcapsules have a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm, more preferable that 95% by mass or more of the above-mentioned microcapsules have a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm, and further preferable that 97% by mass or more of the above-mentioned microcapsules have a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm. By having 90 mass% or more of the microcapsules have the particle diameter, the microcapsules are easily distributed widely in the thickness direction of the absorbent article.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the microcapsules are preferably mixed in a ratio of 4: 1-1: a mass ratio of 4 contains a fraction having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 60 μm and a fraction having a particle diameter of 60 μm or more and less than 80 μm, and more preferably in a ratio of 3: 1-1: a mass ratio of 3 contains a portion having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 60 μm and a portion having a particle diameter of 60 μm or more and less than 80 μm, and further preferably in a ratio of 2: 1-1: the mass ratio of 2 contains a fraction having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 60 μm and a fraction having a particle diameter of 60 μm or more and less than 80 μm. With the mass ratio in the above range, the microcapsules are easily distributed widely in the thickness direction of the absorbent article.

In the present specification, the particle size of the microcapsules is measured by a sieve. For example, the mass ratio of microcapsules passing through a sieve of 80 μm and remaining on a sieve of 40 μm mesh is calculated, and the mass ratio of microcapsules having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm is determined.

The portion of the microcapsules having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 60 μm can be calculated from the mass ratio of the microcapsules passing through a sieve having a mesh size of 60 μm and remaining on a sieve having a mesh size of 40 μm.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, as shown in embodiment 1, it is preferable that the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet does not have microcapsules. This is because the microcapsules and the incorporated cooling component are less likely to come into direct contact with the wearer, and it is less likely to cause excessive irritation (cooling action) of the cooling component to the skin of the wearer.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, a small amount of microcapsules may be provided on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet to such an extent that excessive irritation (cooling effect) is hardly given to the skin of the wearer. This is because, if the amount of microcapsules on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet is small, it is difficult to give excessive irritation (cooling effect) to the skin of the wearer.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the skin contact sheet may be a sheet known in the art as long as it is a fabric containing fibers, and examples of the fabric include a nonwoven fabric containing thermoplastic resin fibers as the fibers, such as a hot air nonwoven fabric, a spunbond nonwoven fabric, a point-bond nonwoven fabric, a spunlace nonwoven fabric, a needle-punched nonwoven fabric, a hot-melt nonwoven fabric, and a combination thereof (e.g., SMS, etc.).

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the skin-contacting sheet preferably has hydrophilicity. This is because when the wearer sweats, the sweat easily permeates into the skin contact sheet, and the refreshing component is rapidly released from the microcapsule.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the skin contact sheet may be a nonwoven fabric having a plurality of ridges extending in the longitudinal direction and a plurality of grooves disposed between the ridges, as in embodiment 1. Such nonwoven fabrics can be produced by the methods described in, for example, japanese patent application laid-open nos. 2008-25079, 2008-23326, and 2009-30218. Specifically, the nonwoven fabric is produced by stacking a plurality of webs containing thermoplastic resin fibers, jetting a gas to the stacked plurality of webs to form a concavo-convex structure, and then heat-treating the web having the concavo-convex structure to thermally bond portions where the thermoplastic resin fibers in the web intersect with each other.

In the above method, a rib-groove structure including a rib portion and a groove portion can be formed on the upper surface of the multi-layer web by placing the multi-layer web on an air-permeable support member (for example, a web-shaped support member) and continuously jetting a gas (usually air) onto the upper surface of the multi-layer web while moving the air-permeable support member in a predetermined direction. The lower surface of the multi-layer web is shaped to conform to the shape of the air-permeable support member. For example, when the mesh-placing surface of the mesh-supporting member is flat, the lower surface of the multi-layer mesh is substantially flat (and therefore the lower surface of the nonwoven fabric to be formed is also substantially flat).

Grooves extending in the moving direction of the air-permeable support member are formed in the area of the upper surface of the web where the gas is jetted, and a ridge is formed between two adjacent grooves. At this time, since the fibers in the area where the gas is injected move to both sides of the groove portion, the fiber density of the ridge portion is generally higher than that of the groove portion.

The number, spacing, grammage, fiber density, and the like of the ridges and grooves can be adjusted to a desired range by adjusting the number, diameter, and pitch of the nozzles, the temperature and ejection amount of the gas ejected from the nozzles, the tension of the web, and the like.

In embodiment 1, the fiber density of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is higher than the fiber density of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and such a nonwoven fabric can be produced by, for example, making the fiber density of the upper layer web higher than the fiber density of the lower layer web in a multi-layer web.

In the above method, the fiber density of the ridge portion (the fiber density on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet) can be made higher than the fiber density of the groove portion (the fiber density on the non-skin surface side of the skin contact sheet) by increasing the ejection amount of the gas ejected from the nozzle. Further, the nonwoven fabric having a higher fiber density in the raised portions than in the groove portions can be produced by the methods described in, for example, japanese patent laid-open nos. 2008-002034 and 2008-023311.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the skin contact sheet can be manufactured by, for example, making the fiber diameter of the upper mesh of the multi-layer mesh smaller than the fiber diameter of the lower mesh, while the fiber diameter of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is smaller than the fiber diameter of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet.

In the absorbent article of the present disclosure, a desired auxiliary sheet is the same auxiliary sheet as the skin contact sheet.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the absorbent article 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 7. In the following description, reference numerals for the absorbent article refer to fig. 1 to 4.

As shown in fig. 5, a nonwoven fabric sheet 103 wound from a 1 st nonwoven fabric roll 101 is passed through a Z-fold member 105 known in the art, and then passed through an embossing device 107, thereby forming a folded sheet 109 having a folded portion 41 provided with a compressed portion 33. Further, the upper surface of the folded back sheet 109 forms the inner surface of the absorbent article.

The nonwoven fabric sheet 103 forms the liquid-permeable sheet 9 of the absorbent article 1, the skin contact sheet 17 of the pair of side flap portions 5, and the skin contact sheet 17 of the pair of hip flap portions 7, the folded-back portion 41 forms the folded-back portion 41 of the absorbent article 1, and the compressed portion 33 of the folded-back portion 41 forms the compressed portion 33 of the absorbent article 1.

The folded-back sheet 109 is formed with two adhesive portions 59 by applying an adhesive from an adhesive applicator 119 along the conveyance direction MD to a portion 113 where a pair of side panel portions can be formed, a portion 115 where a pair of hip panel portions can be formed, and a portion 117 where a cut-off portion to be cut out can be formed, of a portion 111 where an absorbent article can be formed, of the folded-back sheet 109, and a folded-back sheet 120 having an adhesive portion as shown in fig. 6 is formed.

Next, the microcapsules 55 are applied from the microcapsule applicator 121 to the portion 113 capable of forming the pair of side flap portions, the portion 115 capable of forming the pair of hip flap portions, and the portion 117 capable of forming the slit portion to be cut out of the folded-back sheet 120 having the adhesive portion along the conveyance direction MD, and are applied to the adhesive portion 59, the microcapsule existing regions 51 are formed on the portions 113 capable of forming the pair of side flap portions on the folded-back sheet 109, and the microcapsule existing regions 53 are formed on the portions 115 capable of forming the pair of hip flap portions, respectively, to form the folded-back sheet 123 having the adhesive portion and the microcapsules as shown in fig. 7.

Further, a suction box 122 for sucking the microcapsules 55 is provided, and the folding sheet 109 is provided between the suction box 122 and the microcapsule coater 121.

In the skin contact sheet of the absorbent article of the present disclosure, the number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side and the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side can be adjusted by adjusting the air pressure of the microcapsule coater, the suction pressure of the suction tank provided on the opposite side of the microcapsule coater with the folded sheet interposed therebetween, and the like.

Next, an adhesive is applied from an adhesive applicator 124 along the conveyance direction MD (the longitudinal direction L of the absorbent article 1) to the portion 113 capable of forming a pair of side panel portions, the portion 115 capable of forming a pair of hip panel portions, and the portion 117 capable of forming a hem portion to be cut out of the folded-back sheet 109, and the adhesive portion 63 is formed on the portion 113 capable of forming a pair of side panel portions, the portion 115 capable of forming a pair of hip panel portions, and the portion 117 capable of forming a hem portion to be cut out, and then the adhesive portion 63 is formed on the microcapsule existing region 51 and the microcapsule existing region 53, and the folded-back sheet 125 having an adhesive portion, microcapsules, and an adhesive portion is formed.

Next, the auxiliary sheet 129 wound from the 2 nd nonwoven roll 127 is laminated on the portion 113 capable of forming the side flap portion and the portion 115 capable of forming the hip flap portion of the folded-back sheet 125 having the adhesive portion, the microcapsules, and the adhesive portion to form the 1 st laminated sheet 131.

Next, an adhesive is applied from the adhesive applicator 133 onto the 1 st laminated sheet 131, and the absorber 135 is stacked on the adhesive to form a 2 nd laminated sheet 137.

The absorber 135 is manufactured by an absorber manufacturing apparatus 139 known in the art, and the absorber manufacturing apparatus 139 includes: a material supply part 141, a suction drum 143, a die 145 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the suction drum 143, and a suction part 146.

Next, the 2 nd laminate sheet 137 is passed through the embossing device 147 to form the compressed part 29 of the absorbent article 1 in the 2 nd laminate sheet 137, and then the 2 nd laminate sheet 137 is passed through the through-hole forming machine 149 to form the opening 35 of the absorbent article 1 therein, thereby forming the 3 rd laminate sheet 151.

Next, an adhesive is applied from an adhesive applicator 153 to the 3 rd laminated sheet 151, and then, a film 156 is wound from a film roll 155 and laminated on the 3 rd laminated sheet 151, thereby forming a 4 th laminated sheet 157. Further, the film 156 forms the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 of the absorbent article main body 3 of the absorbent article 1, the garment contacting sheet 21 of the side flap portion 5, and the garment contacting sheet 21 of the hip flap portion 7.

The 4 th laminate 157 is passed through an embossing device 159 to compress the 4 th laminate 157 in its thickness direction to form a 5 th laminate 161.

The 5 th laminated sheet 161 is passed through a cutting device 163 provided with a cutter roll and a back-up roll, and the 5 th laminated sheet 161 is cut at a boundary surface which divides the absorbent article 1 and the cut edge portion to be cut, and is separated into the absorbent article 1 and the cut edge portion (not shown).

The clothing contact surface 22 is sucked by a suction device (not shown) to cut the separated edge cutting portion.

Examples

The present disclosure is described below by way of examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

Production example 1

(1) Manufacture of webs

Comprising a conjugate fiber (average fineness: 3.3dtex, average fiber length: 38mm) comprising polyethylene terephthalate as a core component and polyethylene as a sheath component, and a conjugate fiber (average fineness: 3.3dtex, average fiber length: 38mm) comprising polyethylene terephthalate as a core component and polyethylene as a sheath componentAverage fiber length: 51mm) (mass ratio 4: 3) a web No.1 (grammage: 35g/m²)。

A net No.2 (grammage: 25 g/m) was formed from a mixture (mass ratio 1: 1) of a composite fiber (average fineness: 1.7dtex, average fiber length: 45mm) containing polyethylene terephthalate as a core component and a composite fiber (average fineness: 2.3dtex, average fiber length: 45mm) containing polyethylene terephthalate as a sheath component²)。

(2) Manufacture of non-woven fabrics

A skin contact sheet No.1 having a ridge-and-groove structure including ridge portions and groove portions is formed by a method described in Japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-23311, in which a mesh No.2 is stacked on a mesh No.1 to form a stacked mesh.

Various settings of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus used are as follows.

Diameter of the ejection port 332: 1.0mm (round)

Pitch of the ejection ports 322: 3.0mm

Temperature of the injected gas: 310 deg.C

Air volume of gas injected per 1 injection port: 5L/min

Web conveying speed: speed of 100 m/min

Breathable support member 310 (mesh support member): 70 mesh

Heating process by the heating section 340: the heat treatment temperature was set to 140 ℃ to treat for 6 seconds by a wind speed of 1.2 m/sec

(3) Absorbent article manufacturing

The absorbent article No.1 shown in fig. 1 to 4 was manufactured according to the manufacturing method shown in fig. 5. Furthermore, the microcapsule contains menthol as a cooling component to have a gram weight of 1.5g/m²The coating was performed in the manner described in (1).

As a result of observation of the cross section of the side flap portion of the absorbent article No.1 with an electron microscope, the fiber density of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet was higher than the fiber density of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet. The fiber diameter of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is smaller than the fiber diameter of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet.

The number density of microcapsules on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is lower than the number density of microcapsules on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet. Further, no microcapsules are present on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet.

Production example 2

In the production of the nonwoven fabric, an absorbent article No.2 was produced in the same manner as in production example 1, except for the following two points: two webs No.1 were superposed; when the microcapsules are applied, the application pressure of the microcapsule coater is lowered, and the suction of the suction box is not performed. In production example 2, the coating pressure of the microcapsule coater was reduced, but the grammage of the microcapsules was equal to that of production example 1.

The cross section of the side flap portion of the absorbent article No.1 was observed with an electron microscope, and as a result, the microcapsules hardly penetrated into the inside of the skin contact sheet. Further, no microcapsules are present on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet.

[ example 1]

A plurality of volunteer experiencers were made to wear the absorbent article No.1 and the absorbent article No.2, and as a result, the obtained answers were: with the absorbent article No.1, the cooling is felt earlier and the cooling is felt longer, as compared with the absorbent article No. 2.

Description of the reference numerals

1. An absorbent article; 3. an absorbent article main body portion; 5. a side flap portion; 7. a hip flap portion; 9. a liquid-permeable sheet; 11. a liquid-impermeable sheet; 13. an absorbent body; 15. a skin abutting surface; 17. a skin abutment tab; 19. an auxiliary sheet; 21. a clothing abutment sheet; 22. a garment abutment surface; 23. 25, 27, an adhesive part; 29. 31, 33, a compression section; 35. an opening part; 37. 39, a sealing part; 41. a fold-back portion; 43. 45, raised bar portions; 47. 49, a groove part; 51. 53, microcapsule existing area; 55. microcapsules; 57. a non-skin-abutting surface; 59. 63, an adhesive part; 61. the side of the skin abutting sheet; 65. a central plane.

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising: a skin contact sheet having a skin contact surface and a non-skin contact surface; a clothing abutment sheet; and microcapsules containing a cooling component, characterized in that,

the skin contact sheet comprises a fabric containing fibers, the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet have a higher fiber density than the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet, and,

the skin contact sheet is divided into a region on a skin contact surface side defined by the skin contact surface and a central surface of a center of the skin contact sheet in a thickness direction thereof and a region on a non-skin contact surface side defined by the central surface and the non-skin contact surface,

the skin contact sheet contains the microcapsules therein, and the number density of the microcapsules in the region on the skin contact surface side is lower than the number density of the microcapsules in the region on the non-skin contact surface side.

2. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the absorbent article further includes an adhesive section applied to the non-skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet, and the adhesive section holds the microcapsules.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the fiber diameter of the fibers on the skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet is smaller than the fiber diameter of the fibers on the non-skin contact surface side of the skin contact sheet.

4. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the absorbent article does not have the microcapsules on the skin contact surface of the skin contact sheet.

5. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

90% by mass or more of the microcapsules have a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 80 μm.

6. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the microcapsules are mixed in a ratio of 4: 1-1: the mass ratio of 4 contains a fraction having a particle diameter of 40 μm or more and less than 60 μm and a fraction having a particle diameter of 60 μm or more and less than 80 μm.

7. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the absorbent article further includes an auxiliary sheet provided between the skin contact sheet and the clothing contact sheet, the auxiliary sheet containing the microcapsules at a number density smaller than a number density of the microcapsules between a center surface of the skin contact sheet in a thickness direction and the non-skin contact surface.

8. The absorbent article of claim 7,

the absorbent article further includes an adhesive section applied to a surface of the auxiliary sheet on the skin contact sheet side, and the adhesive section holds the microcapsules.

9. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the absorbent article has: an absorbent article main body; and a pair of flap portions extending from the absorbent article main body to both sides in the width direction of the absorbent article, the skin contact piece and the garment contact piece forming the pair of flap portions.