JP2007082576A - Absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an absorbent article to be put between labia to be used, capable of sufficiently utilizing the liquid absorbency of another absorbent article fixed to the underwear to be used together with the absorbent article, and having excellent operability. <P>SOLUTION: The absorbent article 1 comprises a substantially oblong absorbent body 12 with an absorbent layer 10, and a pair of wing parts 5 and 5 extending from both side edges of the absorbent body 12. The absorbent article 1 is put between labia to be used, and is double-folded in such a way as the longitudinal direction on the skin contact side of the absorbent body 12 is a mountain and the longitudinal direction on the non-contact side is a valley. The absorbent body 12 is structured so that the absorbed liquid can easily move outward from the center in the lateral direction, and the pair of wing parts 5 and 5 have liquid-permeability. The absorbent article is used together with such an absorbent article as a sanitary napkin fixed to the inner side of the underwear. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an absorbent article, and more particularly to an absorbent article used by being sandwiched between female labia.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Conventionally, small absorbent articles, such as an interlabial pad used by being pinched | interposed into the space between female labia, are known. This type of absorbent article is worn with its skin contact surface in direct contact with the labial area, and has improved leakage resistance.
In addition, an interlabial pad having a structure that facilitates reliable and hygienic wearing between female labia has been proposed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a finger insertion sinus into which a wearer's finger is inserted is formed along the longitudinal direction of the non-skin contact surface, and the opening of the finger insertion sinus is formed on the non-skin contact surface. This is a finger insertion opening in which a finger width direction opening is directly secured in the surface direction, and the finger insertion opening is a contact of a skin contact surface that is in contact with a predetermined position between the labia of the wearer. The fingertip of the wearer is guided to the finger contact point of the non-skin contact surface corresponding to the contact point, and the finger is inserted from the finger insertion port in the finger insertion sinus in the vicinity of the finger contact point. An interlabial pad provided with a finger insertion restricting portion that restricts the progression of the above is disclosed.

  In addition, the interlabial pad that complements functions such as the liquid absorption capability of the absorbent article is made detachable from the absorbent article, and a guide element is provided for guiding the attachment position when attaching the interlabial pad. Absorbent articles have been proposed.

  For example, in Patent Document 2, the interlabial pad that closely contacts between the labium is guided to the skin contact surface of the absorbent article so that it can be easily attached to an appropriate position of the absorbent article for attaching the interlabial pad. An absorbent article is disclosed in which a pressing groove which is an element is formed, and an interlabial pad is attached with an adhesive using the pressing groove as a guide.

No. 2002-94150 JP 2003-38564 A

The interlabial pad described in Patent Document 1 is reliable and hygienic to install the interlabial pad between the labia, and can be absorbed and held with only a relatively small amount of body fluid, but it is excreted. If there is a large amount of body fluid, there is a risk that the body fluid will leak out of the pad. In this case, from the viewpoint of preventing liquid leakage, it is preferable to use an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin that is used while being fixed inside the underwear as in the example described in Patent Document 2. However, since the non-skin contact surface of the pad described in Patent Document 1 is leak-proof, the movement of body fluid from the pad to a sanitary napkin or the like that is fixed to the undergarment is from the periphery of the pad, The liquid is absorbed from the peripheral part of the napkin or the like, and the liquid is not absorbed from the central part. With this, there is a possibility that the liquid absorption performance of sanitary napkins or the like cannot be fully utilized.
Moreover, since the size of the interlabial pad described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is relatively small, it may be difficult to operate when removing from between the labia.
Thus, further improvement is expected for a small absorbent article such as an interlabial pad used by being sandwiched between spaces between female labia.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article that is used by being sandwiched between labia, which can eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above.

  The present invention has a substantially vertically long absorbent body having an absorbent layer and a pair of wings extending from both side edges in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body, and is used by being sandwiched between labia. The absorbent article is folded in two so that the longitudinal direction on the skin contact surface side of the absorbent main body is a mountain and the longitudinal direction on the non-skin contact surface side is a valley, The main body is configured so that the absorbed liquid can easily move from the central portion in the width direction to the outside, and the pair of wing portions provide an absorbent article having liquid permeability. The above-mentioned purpose has been achieved.

  According to the absorbent article of the present invention, the liquid absorption performance of the absorbent article that is fixed to the undergarment and used together can be fully utilized, the operability is good, and used between the labia.

  Hereinafter, a preferred first embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The absorbent article 1 of this embodiment is a menstrual absorption pad, and extends from the absorbent main body 12 and both side edges in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It has a pair of wing parts 5 and 5 and is used by being sandwiched between labia. The absorbent main body 12 includes a liquid-retaining absorbent layer 10 and a liquid-impermeable leak-proof layer 11, and is substantially vertically long. The absorbent layer 10 in the absorbent main body 12 is formed from a top sheet 2 that is a liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric and a liquid-retaining absorbent body 4, and the leak-proof layer 11 is formed from a liquid-impermeable back sheet 3. Become.
As shown in FIG. 1, the absorbent main body 12 in the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment has a mountain in the longitudinal direction on the skin contact surface side of the absorbent main body 12 along the longitudinal center line C, and non-skin It is folded in half so that the longitudinal direction on the contact surface side is a valley. Moreover, the absorptive main body 12 is made so that the absorbed liquid can move easily from the center part in the width direction toward the outside, and the pair of wing parts 5 and 5 have liquid permeability.
The present article 1 is preferably used in combination with an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin fixed to the inner side of the undergarment from the viewpoint of absorbing and holding a large amount of body fluid without leaking.

  The absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment will be further described. As shown in FIG. 3, the absorbent main body 12 has a substantially isosceles trapezoidal shape in plan view, and the front portion is wider. It is narrow. The top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 in the absorptive main body 12 have substantially the same shape, and are extended and joined from the edge of the absorbent body 12 at the front and rear end portions of the absorbent main body 12. Moreover, the absorber 4 in the absorptive main body 12 is substantially similar to the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 and is sandwiched between both sheets as shown in FIG. Each of the pair of wing portions 5, 5 is formed by extending the top sheet 2 and the absorbent main body 4 from the side edge of the back sheet 3. The pair of wing portions 5, 5 is arranged at a position closer to the front than the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape of the absorbent main body 12 in the article 1 is a hollow chevron that is raised on the skin side of the wearer. The shape of the article 1 has a shape that is easily and stably sandwiched between spaces between labia of women, and bodily fluids absorbed from the ridges of the absorbent main body 12 extend from both side edges in the longitudinal direction. Each of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5 has a shape that is easy to move.

In the absorbent main body 12 in the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment, the peripheral portion thereof is hydrophobic except for the vicinity of the base portions of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5, and the peripheral portion (the wing portion of the wing portion). A hydrophobic region P is formed in the base). The hydrophobic region P is preferably formed by, for example, applying a hydrophobic oil to the hydrophilic surface sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4.
More specifically, the hydrophobic region P is a portion excluding the vicinity of the base of each of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5 at the front end edge in the longitudinal direction, the rear end edge and both side edges in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body 12. It is preferable that each part has the same degree of hydrophobicity. The hydrophobic region P is preferably formed with a predetermined width on the peripheral edge portion (excluding the base portion of the wing portion), and specifically, preferably has a width of 2 to 14 mm. As will be described later, the width of the article 1 is more preferably 4 to 10 mm in view of the viewpoint that the preferable total length of the article 1 is relatively short and the hydrophobic region is too wide, which impedes liquid absorption.
In addition, when the surface sheet 2 and the absorber 4 are formed from a hydrophobic material, it is also preferable to apply a hydrophilic oil agent to a portion excluding the hydrophobic region P.
In addition, the treatment site of the hydrophilic oil differs depending on the size of the napkin used in combination.For example, in the case of a napkin formed long behind the excretion site, the wing portion is formed long in order to make effective use of the absorptivity of the rear part. The hydrophilic treatment may be performed only behind the article 1 including the wing portion.

The article 1 is relatively small, and the amount of body fluid that can be absorbed and retained is not large. When the amount of discharged body fluid is large, the body fluid absorbed in the central part of the article 1 spreads over the entire longitudinal direction and width direction of the absorbent main body 12. The body fluid that has moved in the longitudinal direction from the center of the article 1 is restricted from moving further outward in the longitudinal direction in the hydrophobic region P at the front edge and the rear edge in the longitudinal direction. And move outward in the width direction along the hydrophobic region P.
In this way, any bodily fluid absorbed at the center of the article 1 is moved outward in the width direction. The body fluid that has moved outward in the width direction is restricted from moving further outward in the width direction in the hydrophobic region P at both side edges (excluding the base of the wing portion) in the longitudinal direction. Move inward.
Next, the bodily fluid that has moved to the vicinity of the base of each of the pair of wing parts 5, 5 moves to the wing part 5, and further passes through the wing part 5 having liquid permeability, so that the non-skin contact surface of the article 1 It is designed to move to the side.
It is preferable that a sanitary napkin or the like fixed to the inner side of the underwear is disposed on the non-skin contact surface side of the article 1, and in this case, the surface on the non-skin contact surface side of the wing portion 5 is It is in contact with the skin contact surface such as the sanitary napkin. As described above, the body fluid that has moved through the wing 5 to the non-skin contact surface side of the article 1 quickly moves to the skin contact surface such as the sanitary napkin and is absorbed. Therefore, since the absorbed body fluid does not stay in the wing portion 5 having liquid permeability, the movement of the body fluid from the absorbent main body 12 to the wing portion 5 is repeated.

In the absorptive main body 12 of the present embodiment, it is desirable that the surface on the skin contact surface side of the topsheet 2 in the hydrophobic region P is hydrophobic to the extent that body fluid does not enter.
The degree of hydrophobicity can be easily measured by whether or not various droplets can be absorbed when the droplets are gently placed on the surface. Specifically, the article 1 is fixed as it is so that the measurement surface is completely horizontal and the measurement surface is not pressurized or deformed. Using a Iwaki Glass Pasteur pipette (53/4 ″) on the test surface, gently drop one drop from a position 5 mm away from the surface. When the pipette is set up vertically and the liquid is gently dropped, a water drop with a diameter of about 3 mm is formed as a rough guide. If the dropped liquid is absorbed instantly, it is determined as “instantaneous”, and if it takes several seconds, the number of seconds is measured, and if it takes 30 seconds or more, it is determined as “not absorbed”.
The degree of hydrophobicity is easily determined by changing the surface tension of the liquid used in the test and determining which liquid is absorbed.
For example, a preferable absorption surface (surface other than the hydrophobic region P) of the article is hydrophilic, and when ion-exchanged water (surface tension 72.7 dyn / cm) is used for the evaluation, it absorbs instantaneously. On the other hand, when the evaluation is performed in the hydrophobic region P, it is preferable that, similarly, using ion-exchanged water, the droplet absorption time preferably takes at least 10 seconds or more and does not absorb (that is, takes 30 seconds or more). preferable.
Basically, the absorption behavior of the droplets on the absorption surface and the hydrophobic region P is obviously different as described above, and can be sufficiently confirmed by this evaluation with ion-exchanged water.
Further, when the same evaluation was made using Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. Wetting Index Standard Solutions No. 54 (surface tension 54 dyn / cm) and 45 (45 dyn / cm), No. 54, it is more preferable that the droplet absorption time takes 10 seconds or more. 45 is most preferably a droplet absorption time of 10 seconds or longer.
The evaluation is relatively insensitive to the test conditions and can be measured stably, but just in case, the measurement is performed in an environment of 25 ° C. and 55-60% RH, and all the test solutions and instruments are in the same environment for 3 hours or more. What was conditioned in was used.

Each of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5 in the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment has liquid permeability, and the body fluid absorbed by the absorbent main body 12 is not applied to the skin while the article 1 is worn. It is a liquid introduction path that moves to the contact surface side. In an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin used by being fixed to the undergarment used together with the article 1, the liquid moves from the part in contact with the non-skin contact surface of each of the pair of wing parts 5, 5. To do. From the viewpoint of fully utilizing the absorption performance of the napkin or the like, it is preferable that the liquid moves to the center part of the skin contact surface of the napkin or the like. From such a viewpoint, the length L of the base (see FIG. 3) is preferably 20 to 60% of the length of the article 1 with respect to the size of each of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5. More preferably, it is -40%. The width W1 (see FIG. 3) of the wing portion 5 is preferably 25 mm or less, more preferably 5 to 15 mm, from the viewpoint of being within the skin contact surface of the napkin.
Further, when the article 1 is worn or removed, the pair of wing portions 5 and 5 become knobs to enhance the operability of the article 1. The width W1 of the wing part 5 is the maximum length of the wing part 5 measured in the direction orthogonal to the linear base.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of auxiliary embossed portions 51, 51... And slit-shaped openings 52, 52... Are alternately provided along the linear bases of the pair of wing portions 5, 5. ing. Each of the embossed part 51 and the opening 52 is formed at a position on the outer side in the width direction along the longitudinal side edge of the back sheet 3.
Each of the plurality of auxiliary embossed portions 51, 51... Has a substantially circular shape in plan view, the surface sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 are heat-sealed, and the fiber density is a portion of the absorbent main body 12 around. Is higher than that, and the capillary force is higher. The body fluid that has moved to the vicinity of the base of each of the pair of wing parts 5, 5 is drawn to the base by the capillary force of the plurality of auxiliary embossed parts 51, 51, and moves quickly to the wing part 5.
In addition, a slit-shaped opening 52 is provided between the auxiliary embossed portions 51 so as to penetrate from the skin contact surface side of the base portion to the non-skin contact surface side. The body fluid that has moved to the vicinity of the base of each of the pair of wings 5, 5 is drawn to the base by the capillary force of the plurality of auxiliary embossed parts 51, 51, and passes through the slit-shaped openings 52, 52, It moves to the non-skin contact surface side of the article 1.

  Further, the hydrophilicity of each of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5 gradually increases in the thickness direction from the skin contact surface side to the non-skin contact surface side. Specifically, the hydrophilicity of the absorbent body 4 is higher than that of the top sheet 2. Moreover, it is preferable that the hydrophilicity of the absorber 4 is changing continuously or stepwise in the thickness direction. In the case where the hydrophilicity is changed stepwise, it is preferable that portions having different hydrophilicity are formed in layers in the thickness direction.

The simplest method for changing the hydrophilicity in the thickness direction of the wing part 5 is to form the back sheet 3 with a non-woven sheet having higher hydrophilicity than the top sheet 2 and to extend both to the outside of the absorbent main body 12. In this case, the hydrophilicity changes in two steps. If another non-woven fabric having a wing shape and a different hydrophilicity level is interposed between the two layers, the hydrophilic level can be divided into three stages. (In this case, the hydrophilic level of the intermediate non-woven fabric is higher than that of the top sheet 2 and lower than that of the back sheet 3.) In the same manner, it is possible to make a plurality of layers, but only by making the process complicated. Is not realistic because it is thin.
The wing part 5 may be configured by using a top sheet 2 and bonding a non-woven fabric (higher hydrophilic than the top sheet 2) to the back sheet 3 to form the wing part 5. A sheet obtained by bonding a plurality of sheets having different hydrophilicity different from the sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 may be joined at a predetermined position of the absorbent main body 12 to form the wing portion 5. 3. It is also possible to form the wing portion 5 by using a back sheet 3 made of a hydrophilic non-woven fabric and bonding a non-woven fabric sheet different from the top sheet 2 (which is less hydrophilic than the back sheet 3).

As a method of hydrophilizing each layer of the wing part 5, a method commonly used in the technical field can be used as appropriate.
For example, it is possible to increase the hydrophilicity of the entire fiber assembly by mixing a predetermined amount of hydrophilic fibers such as rayon and pulp fibers to obtain a nonwoven fabric. It is more common to make the fibers hydrophilic before forming the web.
Specifically, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, nylon, and composite fibers thereof are prepared, and various hydrophilizing agents are applied at a stage before cutting into a predetermined length to form staples. Hydrophilic agents include various alkyl sulfonates represented by α-olefin sulfonates, acrylates, acrylate / acrylamide copolymers, ester amides, ester amide salts, polyethylene glycol and derivatives thereof, water-soluble Hydrophilic treatment with a hydrophilizing agent known to those skilled in the art, such as a reactive polyester resin, various silicone derivatives, various sugar derivatives, and mixtures thereof, can be used.
At this time, in order to increase the hydrophilicity of the lower layer from the upper layer, for example, a large amount of the hydrophilic agent is applied, the hydrophilicity of the lower layer hydrophilic agent is increased, the durability of the lower layer hydrophilic agent is increased, etc. It is preferable to change the hydrophilizing agent or coating conditions of each layer.
For example, the hydrophilic treatment of each layer is performed by using a hydrophilic treatment agent with low solubility in body fluids or by fixing the hydrophilic treatment agent on the fiber surface, so that the hydrophilicity is increased from the uppermost layer to the lowermost layer. There is a method of selecting a treatment agent and guiding it to the lowest layer without changing the properties of the body fluid to the lowest layer.
Further, as another method of the hydrophilic treatment, in order to reduce the surface tension of the body fluid and promote the transition of the body fluid to the lower layer, the solubility of the hydrophilic treatment agent in the upper layer in the body fluid is increased, An example is a method in which the chemical treatment agent is dissolved in the body fluid so that the surface tension of the body fluid is easily lowered.

As a different method for promoting liquid transfer to the lower layer of the wing part 5, a method of making the fiber density of the lowermost layer denser than the uppermost layer is also preferable. “Fiber density” as used herein means the volume density of constituent fibers in each layer, and in each layer, the ratio Q of the total volume of constituent fibers to the apparent volume of the entire layer is large, “fiber density is dense”. On the contrary, the fact that the ratio Q is small is called “sparse fiber density”. The apparent volume is a volume composed of constituent fibers and voids between the fibers, and the total volume of the constituent fibers is a volume obtained by removing the voids between the fibers from the apparent volume.
In order to increase the fiber density, for example, the gap between constituent fibers in the layer may be set small. Specifically, it may be set so that the gap between the constituent fibers decreases from the upper layer toward the lower layer. Thus, when the fiber density of the upper layer is made sparse and the fiber density of the lower layer is set densely, the capillary force of the lower layer becomes larger than that of the upper layer.
In order to form the above-described fiber density density relationship, the fineness of the fibers used in the fiber assembly of each layer is changed (the uppermost layer is thinner and the lowermost layer is thicker). Change the ratio (the lower layer has more heat fusion), change the degree of crimp of the fibers in the upper and lower layers (the upper layer has more crimps and the fiber assembly is sparse), and the fiber assembly is on the lower side And hot pressing (concentrated crushing of the lowermost layer) can be used.
As in the last method, the fiber density is not clearly different between the layers, and a close-packed relationship in which the fiber density increases continuously (or stepwise) from the uppermost layer to the lowermost layer can be preferably selected. .

The fiber density can be calculated as basis weight / thickness by measuring the basis weight (weight per m ² ) of each layer of the corresponding fiber assembly, further measuring the thickness of each layer. At this time, the thickness is based on the concept of fabric compression test (initial thickness) ("Standardization and analysis of texture evaluation (2nd edition)", written by Kyuo Kawabata, Japan Textile Machinery Society, Texture Measurement and Standardization Research Committee (Issued July 10, 1980)) was applied mutatis mutandis, and the thickness under a load of 0.5 g / cm ² was used as a representative value. For measurement, KES-FB3 (compression tester) manufactured by Kato Tech was used.
As described above, the wing portion 5 has a large number of irregularities due to embossing and opening.
When the fiber layer has a concavo-convex structure, the same measurement is performed, and the maximum thickness is used as a representative value.
Moreover, when the fiber layer was closely_contact | adhering and thickness changed by peeling, the thickness of each layer was measured as follows.
As above, the overall thickness is measured with a KES compression tester.
While holding the fiber assembly so as to have this thickness, the cross section is enlarged and observed, and the thickness of each layer is measured. The thickness of each layer is measured at the point where the cross-sectional thickness is maximum.
The above measurement was performed at 20 locations, and the average value was used as the representative value.
In addition, when it has such a concavo-convex structure, the representative thickness is measured at the convex portion, and the entire density including the concave portion is represented.

  The liquid introduction effect by hydrophilicity control and the liquid introduction effect by fiber density control as described above can be used in combination. That is, it is effective to combine a nonwoven fabric sheet having low fiber density in the upper layer, low hydrophilicity, high fiber density in the lower layer, and high hydrophilicity, and can be preferably used.

  In the case where the wing part 5 is configured to allow liquid transfer to the lower layer by the above-described devices, the bottom layer of the wing part 5 is essentially a leak-proof back sheet having an opening capable of introducing liquid. It may consist of.

The absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment will be further described. In the packaged state, the article 1 is folded in two so that the surfaces on the non-skin contact surface side of the back sheet 3 overlap each other. Moreover, when it removes from a package in use, the surfaces on the non-skin contact surface side of the back sheet 3 are separated from each other in a natural state as shown in FIG. In the present specification, as described above, the double fold is opened in a fan shape, as shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the surfaces on the non-skin contact surface side of the back sheet 3 overlap each other. Including state.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the article 1 has a shape-retaining sheet 7 stretched over the non-skin contact surface side of each of the pair of wing portions 5, 5. The shape-retaining sheet 7 has a horizontally long rectangular shape. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shape-retaining sheet 7 are bonded to the surface of the wing portion 5 on the non-skin contact surface side with an adhesive, so that the two-fold shape opened in the fan shape of the article 1 is maintained. .

The width | variety of the absorptive main body 12 in the absorbent article 1 of this embodiment is gradually narrowed toward the front-end part from the rear-end part of a longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG.3 and FIG.4. It is preferable that the front end portion of the article 1 is worn while facing the wearer's stomach side.
As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially triangular hollow portion is formed in the cross-sectional shape of the absorbent main body 12, and the cross-sectional area of the hollow portion gradually decreases toward the front end portion of the absorbent main body 12. ing.

  When wearing the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a finger is inserted into the space between the non-skin contact surface side surfaces of the backsheet 3 that is valley-folded, The article 1 is supported by a finger. In this case, the width gradually decreases toward the front end, and the fingertip is sandwiched between the non-skin contact surface side surface of the back-sheet 3 that is valley-folded and the shape-retaining sheet 7, and the finger of the article 1 Support has been made to ensure. The article 1 is preferably worn by being sandwiched in a space between female labia while being supported by a finger in this manner. Further, when the article 1 is worn, the wing part 5 is also preferably used as a knob part.

The absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment is worn between the labia between the female labia when worn, and the skin contact surface of the article 1 is preferably in close contact with the surface between the labia. The article 1 has a thickness of 6 mm or less, preferably 4 mm or less, is thin and soft, and deforms and contacts flexibly according to the shape of the surface between the labia. Since this article 1 is used with a mountain-folded ridge portion arranged behind the labia of a woman, the excreted body fluid moves in the longitudinal direction along the ridge portion. Absorption of bodily fluid is made by the entire article 1. Further, since the ridge portion has a rounded shape as shown in FIG. 2 due to the elasticity of the material, it is difficult to cause discomfort and pain when pushed in.
In addition, the thickness of this article 1 means a state in which the shape retaining sheet 7 is removed and developed in a planar shape. The thickness is measured by, for example, measuring the thickness under a load of 2.5 g / cm ² by placing a measuring plate of an appropriate size with a table thickness gauge made by Peacock.

  The absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment can be absorbed and held only by the article 1 if it is a relatively small amount of body fluid. On the other hand, when the amount of excreted body fluid is large, it is preferable to use an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin that is used while being fixed to the inner side of the undergarment from the viewpoint of further enhancing the absorption performance of the body fluid. In this case, if the sanitary napkin or the like can further absorb and hold the body fluid when the article 1 having absorbed the body fluid is replaced, only the article 1 is replaced and the sanitary napkin or the like is replaced. It is also preferable to continue to use it as it is.

In the absorbent article 1 of this embodiment, the width of the absorbent main body is preferably narrow from the viewpoint of fully utilizing the absorbent performance of a sanitary napkin or the like used in combination with the article 1 and fixed to the underwear. On the other hand, it is preferable to have a predetermined width from the viewpoint of ensuring stable wearability and absorption performance, and the width W2 (see FIG. 3) of the front end of the absorbent main body 12 is 0 to 20 mm. Is preferably 4 to 16 mm. The width W3 (see FIG. 3) of the rear end is preferably 7 to 40 mm, and more preferably 12 to 35 mm. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the width W2 of the front end portion and the width W3 of the rear end portion of the absorbent main body 12 are such that the absorbent main body 12 is open in a mountain shape and the shape retaining sheet 7 is flat. It is in the state of unfolding.
Further, from the viewpoint of sandwiching between the labia, the total length of the article 1 is preferably 6 to 13 cm, and more preferably 7 to 11 cm.
In the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment, the auxiliary embossed portion 51 has a substantially circular shape and a diameter of 1 to 10 mm, more preferably 2 to 6 mm, while maintaining the flexibility of the base of the wing portion. This is preferable from the viewpoint of increasing the capillary force. Moreover, it is preferable that the space | interval along the base of the auxiliary | assistant embossing parts 51 is 1-8 mm, and it is still more preferable that it is 2-5 mm.
In the base of the wing part 5, the length of the slit-like opening 52 is the same as the interval between the two adjacent auxiliary embosses 51 from the viewpoint of maintaining good liquid permeability and rigidity of the base of the wing part. The width of the slit-shaped opening 52 is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm from the same viewpoint.

  In the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment, various materials used in conventional absorbent articles can be used as the material for forming the surface sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 which are nonwoven fabrics. In particular, the top sheet 2 is preferably a so-called spunlace nonwoven fabric in which a web is formed from hydrophilic fibers and further entangled by a hydroentanglement method to form a nonwoven fabric.

  Various known materials can be used as the material of the web, but the following are preferably formed from the following thermoplastic fibers, hydrophilic fibers, or a mixture of the two, and in particular, rayon alone or rayon is mainly used. A component obtained by mixing fibers selected from pulp, cotton, and various thermoplastic fibers is preferable from the viewpoint of being easily entangled and essentially hydrophilic and easily exhibiting absorbency. The fiber length of each fiber is preferably 10 to 120 mm from the viewpoint of being sufficiently entangled and not torn during use.

  Specific examples of thermoplastic fibers include polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, synthetic fibers made of resins such as polyamide, composite fibers thereof, and durable hydrophilizing agents for these fibers. A coated fiber or the like is preferable.

In addition, as the hydrophilic fiber, wood pulp, cellulose fiber, various regenerated cellulose fibers or fibers containing mixed fibers thereof are preferable. Wood pulp includes bleached wood pulp such as softwood bleached kraft pulp (NBKP), softwood sulfite pulp (NBSP), hardwood bleached kraft pulp (LBKP), etc. Chemically cross-linked pulp having Examples of the cellulose fiber include cotton fiber, burlap, cannabis, flax, linna, hemp, leaf fiber (Manila hemp, sisal hemp), kenaf and other annual fiber materials. Examples of the regenerated cellulose fiber include fibers obtained by a viscose method, a copper ammonia method, and an organic solvent method. For example, as described above, rayon fibers formed by the viscose method can be preferably used.
Moreover, it is also preferable to use together the chemical bond method using the adhesive agent with respect to the web or the spunlace nonwoven fabric.

Further, from the viewpoint of the liquid movement control described above (and described later), a web mainly composed of fibers obtained by hydrophilizing various thermoplastic fibers and bonded to each other by thermal fusion to form a nonwoven fabric, so-called thermal bond nonwoven fabric Can also be preferably used. In this case, the above-described fibers can be suitably used as the main thermoplastic fiber.
In this case, in order to soften the touch on the labial area with low irritation, heat fusion by an air-through method is preferable. In addition, a nonwoven fabric that has a cushioned concavo-convex structure as a whole by combining a plurality of webs with different degrees of thermal crimp and fineness, making a nonwoven fabric by the air-through method, and embossing at appropriate intervals continuously. It is preferably used from the viewpoint of being soft and preferable, having unevenness and not being in close contact with the skin, and being dry and excellent in liquid absorption.

  As the absorbent body 4, various hydrophilic webs (various rayon cotton, cotton-like pulp, etc.), absorbent paper, various nonwoven fabrics (particularly, nonwoven fabrics consisting essentially of hydrophilic fibers such as rayon spunlace nonwoven fabric, dry pulp sheet) and these Any combination of is preferred.

As a material for forming the back sheet 3, various materials used in conventional absorbent articles can be used. However, in the case of a design in which liquid is concentrated on the opening of the wing base, various films may be used for the back sheet. preferable. (In this embodiment, the back sheet is liquid-impermeable, so the order of description has been changed.)
In addition, in the case of product design in which the entire back surface is liquid permeable and the liquid is transferred from the entire sheet surface to a lower napkin or the like, the back sheet is preferably a liquid permeable non-woven fabric, specifically an air-through non-woven fabric, a heat roll ( Embossed) non-woven fabric, spunbonded non-woven fabric, melt blown non-woven fabric, etc. are possible. Among them, spunbond alone or non-woven fabric (SMS, SMMS, etc.) combined with melt blown is suitable because it is thin and has appropriate strength. It is done. When such a non-woven fabric is used, the sheet itself is essentially porous and liquid permeation is sufficiently possible, but it is more effective if various hydrophilizations are applied in the same manner as the above-described surface sheet.

  Various known oils are used as the hydrophobic oil agent, and silicone oligomers and fluorine oligomers are particularly preferable. Specific examples of the silicone oligomer include polymethylsilicone obtained by substituting a part of its methyl group with a phenyl group or a trifluoropropyl group, and polyfluorosilicone. Specific examples of the fluorine oligomer include a polymer of an acrylate ester of an alcohol containing a perfluoroalkyl group or a phosphate ester.

According to the absorbent article 1 of this embodiment mentioned above, since the some embossed part 51,51 ... and the opening 52,52 ... are provided along the base of each of a pair of wing parts 5,5, The permeability of the absorbed body fluid to the skin contact surface side is enhanced.
In addition, in each of the pair of wing portions 5 and 5, the hydrophilicity gradually increases from the skin contact surface side to the non-skin contact surface side in the thickness direction. The permeability is further enhanced.

  Next, the absorbent article 1 of 2nd and 3rd embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. Regarding the second and third embodiments that are not particularly described, the description in detail regarding the first embodiment is applied as appropriate. Moreover, in FIG. 6, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member as FIGS.

  In the absorbent article 1 according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the absorbent main body 12 has a plurality of embossed portions 6, 6... As shown in FIG. The density of the embossed portion 6 gradually increases from the center in the width direction of the absorbent main body 12 toward the outside. More specifically, the absorbent main body 12 is formed with a plurality of rows 61 of the embossed portions 6 in the longitudinal direction, and the rows 61, 61... The wings 5 and 5 extend toward the bases. In each of the rows 61, 61..., The density of the embossed portion 6 gradually increases from the central portion in the width direction of the absorbent main body 12 toward the outside. In FIG. 6, only one side surface of the article 1 is shown, but the embossed portion 6 is similarly formed on the other side surface. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment, each of the plurality of embossed portions 6, 6... Is substantially circular in plan view, and the forming material of the topsheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 is heat sealed, and the fiber density Is higher than other parts of the absorbent main body 12, and the capillary force is high. The body fluid absorbed in the central portion in the width direction of the absorbent main body 12 is attracted by the capillary force of the embossed portion 6, and is arranged in a row 61 from the embossed portion 6 in the central portion in the width direction to the embossed portions 6 sequentially provided on the outer side. Move along. Thus, the bodily fluid absorbed in the central portion in the width direction of the absorbent main body 12 moves toward the base of each of the pair of wings 5, 5, and further moves to the wing portion 6.

  The diameter of the embossed portion 6 is preferably 1 to 5 mm from the viewpoint that a good capillary force is obtained and the flexibility of the absorbent main body 12 is not impaired. Moreover, in the row | line | column 61, the linear density of the embossed part 6 in the width direction center part of the absorptive main body 12 is 1-3 pieces / cm, and the linear density in the width direction edge part is 2-8 pieces / cm. However, it is preferable from the viewpoint that the liquid easily moves from the center in the width direction to the outside.

  According to the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment described above, the absorbent body 12 is provided with the row 61 composed of the embossed portions 6, so that the body fluid absorbed in the central portion in the width direction of the absorbent body 12. Is made easier to move outward from the center in the width direction.

In the absorbent article 1 according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fiber density of the topsheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 as the absorbent layer 10 gradually increases outside the widthwise center of the absorbent main body 12. And the liquid is easily diffused to the outside. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
In the absorbent body 4, there is a method for increasing the fiber density on the outer side in the width direction by embossing the absorbent body 4 intensively on the outside with respect to the absorbent body 4 including an easily compressible absorbent element such as a web, a dry pulp sheet, and a nonwoven fabric. The embossing may be crushed only on the outside with a flat roll, or a plurality of linear embosses that are vertically continuous may be concentrated on the outside.
Also, if the web is laminated so that the basis weight of the web is small at the center in the width direction and increases outside in the width direction, and the whole is embossed uniformly, the center in the width direction is less compressed and the compression is stronger at the outer side in the width direction. The fiber density changes continuously.

  According to the absorbent article 1 of the present embodiment described above, the fiber density of the topsheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 as the absorbent layer 10 gradually increases from the center in the width direction of the absorbent main body 12 toward the outside. Thus, the body fluid absorbed in the center portion in the width direction of the absorbent main body 12 is further easily moved from the center portion in the width direction to the outside.

  The absorbent article of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the absorptive main body in the absorptive article of the present invention does not need to have a back sheet.
Moreover, although the peripheral part of the absorptive main body in the absorbent article of each embodiment has hydrophobicity except for the vicinity of the base part of each of the pair of wing parts, it may have liquid impermeability. . For example, it is preferable to form an embossed part by heat sealing on the peripheral part of the absorbent main body except the vicinity of the base part of each of the pair of wing parts.
In addition, the liquid is easily diffused mainly in the width direction due to the above-described device for diffusing the absorber liquid. Therefore, the liquid can be suitably used without performing the partial hydrophobization treatment or the liquid impermeability treatment as described above. Sometimes it is possible.
Furthermore, the hydrophilicity of the absorbent layer may gradually increase from the center in the width direction of the absorbent main body toward the outside.
The absorbent article of the present invention may be a menstrual absorption pad or an incontinence pad.
The description omitted in one embodiment described above and the requirements of only one embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as appropriate, and the requirements in each embodiment can be appropriately changed between the embodiments. Can be substituted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an absorbent article of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the absorbent article according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the absorbent article according to the first embodiment as viewed from the back side. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the absorbent article of the first embodiment is supported by fingers for wearing on the body. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Absorbent article 10 Absorbent layer 11 Leak-proof layer 12 Absorbent main body 2 Top sheet 3 Back sheet 4 Absorber 5 Wing part 51 Auxiliary embossed part 52 Opening 6 Embossed part 61 Row of embossed parts 7 Shape-retaining sheet P Hydrophobic region C Longitudinal center line

Claims (8)

An absorbent article having a substantially vertically long absorbent main body having an absorbent layer and a pair of wings extending from both side edges in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body and sandwiched between labia Because
The absorbent body is folded in two so that the longitudinal direction on the skin contact surface side is a mountain, and the longitudinal direction on the non-skin contact surface side is a valley,
The absorbent main body is an absorbent article in which the absorbed liquid is easily moved from the central portion in the width direction toward the outside, and the pair of wing portions have liquid permeability.   The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of the absorbent main body has hydrophobicity or liquid impermeability except for the vicinity of the base of each of the pair of wing parts.   The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the absorbent main body has a plurality of embossed parts, and the density of the embossed parts gradually increases from the central part in the width direction of the absorbent main body toward the outside. .   The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the absorbent layer has a gradually increasing hydrophilicity from the center in the width direction of the absorbent main body toward the outside.   The absorbent article in any one of Claims 1-4 in which the some auxiliary | assistant embossing part or opening is provided along the base part of a pair of said wing part.   The absorption according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the pair of wing portions has a gradually increasing hydrophilicity from the skin contact surface side to the non-skin contact surface side in the thickness direction thereof. Sex goods.   The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a shape-retaining sheet is stretched over the surface on the non-skin contact surface side of each of the pair of wing portions. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is used in combination with a sanitary napkin attached and fixed to the inside of the undergarment.

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