JP2012158848A - Cloth material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent shift of a winding yarn against a core yarn to the utmost while retaining performances of a cloth material to the utmost.SOLUTION: A first wire material 20f comprises a bundle of a plurality of electroconductive yarns 24, a fusible yarn 26 with a fusion property and a winding yarn 28 made of different synthetic fiber from the fusible yarn or natural fiber. A core yarn 22 is obtained by arranging the fusible yarn 26 along the axial core direction of the electroconductive yarns 24, and the winding yarn 28 is spirally provided around the core yarn 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cloth material including a conductive wire material (a wire material having a conductive yarn and a winding yarn) and a seat using the same.

The fabric described in Patent Document 1 is known as this type of fabric material. This fabric has conductive fibers (conductive wires) and a connecting member that can supply power to the wires.
The conductive wire has a core yarn made of a bundle of stainless steel or carbon fiber (conductive yarn) and a non-conductive winding yarn. The winding yarn is a wire material such as cotton or polyester, and is wound around the core yarn in a spiral shape.
In the known technique, a woven fabric is woven using a conductive wire, and then the conductive wire is energized through a connecting member. The intersecting portion of the conductive wire (warp and weft) has a function as a capacitor by interposing a non-conductive winding yarn.
Here, the fabric of Patent Document 1 is used as, for example, a skin material of a vehicle seat. At this time, the presence or absence of an occupant on the seat can be detected by measuring the electrostatic capacity of the intersecting portion (capacitor) while the skin material (woven fabric) is energized.

By the way, in the above-described seat configuration, the skin material may be picked up and folded by a passenger's getting-on / off operation or the like (bending action of the wire). At that time, the conductive wire is bent, and the winding yarn may be displaced from the core yarn outside the bent portion. For this reason, in the technique of Patent Document 1, by repeatedly getting on and off (due to the repeated bending action of the wire), there is a case where stress is concentrated on the core yarn at a location where the winding yarn is displaced, and the wire breaks. In particular, in the case of a knitted fabric using carbon fiber as the core yarn, the core yarn (carbon fiber) is easily broken due to the winding yarn being displaced at the apex portion of the loop.
Therefore, in the technique of Patent Document 2, the conductive wire is bonded to the back surface of the skin material. For this reason, the winding yarn having the fusing property (adhesiveness) is arranged spirally on the core yarn. The conductive wire can be adhered to the skin material while preventing the winding yarn from shifting to the core yarn to some extent by the adhesiveness of the winding yarn.

JP 2006-234716 A JP 2010-247810 A

However, the technique of Patent Document 2 is originally intended to bond a conductive wire to a skin material. For this reason, the core yarn is not sufficiently restrained by the wound yarn, and the fused yarn is arranged in the axial direction of the core yarn and exposed to the outside of the wire. Therefore, when creating a woven or knitted fabric (fabric material), the adjacent wires may become hard due to adhesion, and the stretchability of the fabric material may be hindered (the configuration of the fabric material is slightly inferior). )
Of course, the core yarn can also be covered with a resin layer or the like, but if this is done, the cloth material may feel rough or foreign matter.
The present invention was devised in view of the above points, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the winding yarn from shifting with respect to the core yarn as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the cloth material as much as possible. is there.

As means for solving the above problems, the fabric material of the first invention has a conductive wire. The wire includes a bundle of a plurality of conductive yarns, a fusion yarn having a fusing property, and a winding yarn made of a synthetic fiber or a natural fiber different from the fusion yarn. In this type of fabric material, it is desirable that the displacement of the winding yarn with respect to the core yarn can be prevented as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the fabric material as much as possible.
Therefore, in the present invention, the fused yarn is arranged in the axial direction of the conductive yarn to form the core yarn, and then the winding yarn is arranged in a spiral shape around the core yarn. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the winding yarn from shifting with respect to the core yarn as much as possible while preventing the fusion yarn from being exposed as much as possible.

  The seat of the second invention covers the cushion material forming the outer shape of the seat with the skin material having the cloth material of the first invention. Then, by allowing the conductive yarn to be energized via the connecting member, the skin material can be used as, for example, an electrode of a sheet heater or a capacitive sensor.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the winding yarn from shifting with respect to the core yarn as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the cloth material as much as possible. Moreover, according to 2nd invention, the skin material excellent in various performance can be provided.

It is a perspective view of a vehicle seat. It is a front view of a part of cloth material. It is a side view of a 1st wire. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of a 1st wire. It is a front view of cloth material and a part of connection member. It is another front view of a cloth material and a connection member part. It is sectional drawing of a cloth material and a connection member part. It is another front view of a cloth material part.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, a reference symbol F is attached to the front of the member, a reference symbol B is attached to the rear of the member, a reference symbol UP is provided above the member, and a reference symbol DW is provided below the member.
A vehicle seat 2 in FIG. 1 includes a seat cushion 4, a seat back 6, and a headrest 8. Each of these members has a cushion material (4P, 6P, 8P) that forms the outer shape of the seat, and a skin material (4S, 6S, 8S) that covers the cushion material.
As a typical cushioning material, for example, polyurethane foam (density: 10 kg / m ^{3 to} 60 kg / m ³ ) can be used.

And in this embodiment, the above-mentioned skin material functions as a seat heater by having the cloth material 10 (after-mentioned) (refer FIG.1 and FIG.2).
The cloth material 10 of this embodiment has the electroconductive 1st wire 20f (core yarn 22, the winding yarn 28) (refer FIG.2 and FIG.3, it mentions later in detail). In this type of configuration, it is desirable that the displacement of the winding yarn 28 with respect to the core yarn 22 can be prevented as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the fabric material 10 as much as possible.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the configuration described later is designed to prevent the winding yarn 28 from shifting from the core yarn 22 as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the fabric material 10 as much as possible. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

[Skin material]
The skin material includes a surface material (skin material body), a cloth material 10, and a connection member 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 5). In the present embodiment, the cloth material 10 is attached to the back surface of the surface material (skin material body), and the cloth material 10 is energized and heated by the connecting member 12 (the cloth material 10 functions as a heater member). .
The surface material (skin material body) is a member that covers the cushion material, and is composed of a fabric (woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric or composite thereof) such as natural fiber or synthetic fiber, or leather (natural leather or synthetic leather). it can.
Here, the surface material (skin material main body) may be a woven fabric having any structure such as a plain woven fabric, an oblique woven fabric, or a satin woven fabric, and may be a knitted fabric having any configuration such as warp knitting, circular knitting, or flat knitting. The surface material (skin material body) may be any fiber (raw material), any web forming technique, or any non-woven fabric produced by any web bonding technique.

(Cloth material)
The cloth material 10 is a member made of a cloth (woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, or a composite thereof), and can be attached to the back surface side (side facing the cushion material) of the skin material. The cloth material 10 has a plurality of constituent yarns (first wire 20f, second wire 20s) described later (see FIG. 2).
The fabric material 10 of the present embodiment is a knitted fabric of weft knitting structure, and the first wire 20f and the second wire 20s are knitted as constituent yarns while forming a loop.

Here, the knitted fabric of the weft knitted structure can be created by forming a loop with yarns supplied in the course direction and sequentially connecting them in the wale direction. The type of weft knitting is not particularly limited, and may be either a round knitting or a flat knitting. The type of weft knitting machine is not particularly limited, and a circular knitting machine and a flat knitting machine can be used. In either case, a single bed knitting machine or a double bed knitting machine can be used. Furthermore, as a knitting machine, a plain machine and a jacquard knitting machine are mentioned, and both can be used.
Further, since the fabric material 10 is disposed on the back surface of the skin material, it is preferable that the knitted fabric is thin and easy to stretch, and the knitted fabric is preferably a single jersey using a single bed knitting machine of circular knitting machines.

[First wire]
The first wire 20f has a core yarn 22 (a bundle of a plurality of conductive yarns 24, a fused yarn 26) and a winding yarn 28 (see FIG. 3).
In this embodiment, the fused yarn 26 is arranged in the axial direction of the conductive yarn 24 to form the core yarn 22, and then the winding yarn 28 is arranged around the core yarn 22 in a spiral shape. By doing so, it is possible to prevent or reduce the deviation of the winding yarn 28 with respect to the core yarn 22 while preventing the fusion yarn 26 from being exposed as much as possible.

(Conductive yarn)
The conductive yarn 24 is a conductive wire that can be energized, and a wire having a specific resistance (volume resistivity) measured according to JIS K 7194 of 10 ⁰ to 10 ⁻¹² Ω · cm can be used. Examples of such conductive yarns 24 include carbon fiber filaments, metal wires, and plated wires.
Examples of the carbon fiber include polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber (PAN-based carbon fiber) and pitch-based carbon fiber. Among these, carbonized fibers, graphitized fibers, and graphite fibers having a firing temperature of 1000 ° C. or more are preferable because they have good electrical conductivity.

  Examples of the metal wire include wires made of gold, silver, copper, brass, platinum, iron, steel, zinc, tin, nickel, stainless steel, aluminum, tungsten, and the like. Of these, stainless steel metal wires are preferred because of their excellent corrosion resistance and strength. Here, stainless steel is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include SUS304, SUS316, and SUS316L. SUS304 has high versatility, and SUS316 and SUS316L contain molybdenum and are preferable because they have excellent corrosion resistance.

  Although the wire diameter of a metal wire is not specifically limited, From a viewpoint of intensity | strength and a softness | flexibility, it is preferable that it is 10-150 micrometers, especially 20-60 micrometers. The number of metal wires can be selected according to the target resistance value.

The plated wire is made of a single metal or an alloy that is formed over the entire length or part of the surface of the core material, using a non-conductive or conductive fiber material (described later) as a core material. A wire having a plating layer can be used. Thus, by forming a plating layer on the surface of the core material, the conductive yarn 24 can be obtained even if the core material is a non-conductive fiber material.
On the other hand, when the core material is a conductive fiber material, durability can be improved by forming a plating layer.

Examples of non-conductive fibers that can be used as the core material of the plated wire include various metal fibers.
Examples of non-conductive fibers include para-aramid fibers, meta-aramid PBO fibers, polyacrylate fibers, PPS fibers, PEEK fibers, polyimide fibers, glass fibers, alumina fibers, silicon carbide fibers, and boron fibers.
And as metals used for the plating treatment, simple metals such as tin, nickel, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, platinum, zinc, chromium, cobalt and palladium, and nickel-tin, copper-nickel, copper-tin And alloys such as copper-zinc and iron-nickel.

(Heat resistance of conductive yarn)
The conductive yarn 24 preferably has heat resistance as compared with a second wire 20s (described later) used for the knitted fabric. In other words, in the case of a yarn that melts by heating or a yarn that does not melt, the combustion start temperature is preferably higher than that of the second wire 20s. That is, the conductive yarn 24 is preferably a yarn having a higher melting point than that of the second wire 20s or hard to burn.
As the flammability index, a limiting oxygen index (LOI) measured according to JIS K 7201 and JIS L 1091 (1999) 8.5E-2 method (oxygen index method test) can be used. Is preferably a conductive yarn 24 having a diameter of 26 or more. Among the above-described conductive yarns 24, the metal wire generally has a higher melting point than natural fibers and synthetic fibers used as the second wire rod 20s, and the LOI is usually 26 or more. For example, stainless steel fibers The LOI is 49.6. Carbon fiber is not melted and LOI is 60.0 or more.

(Fused yarn)
The fused yarn 26 is a wire that can be solidified after being melted by heating, and can be arranged in the axial direction of the conductive yarn 24 (see FIG. 3).
The melting point of the fusion yarn 26 is desirably lower than the melting point of the winding yarn 28 described later, and is preferably 20 ° C. or lower than the melting point of the winding yarn 28. For example, when a polyethylene terephthalate wrapping yarn 28 is used, a fusing yarn 26 having a melting point of 240 ° C. or lower (for example, a polyamide-based, polyester-based, or polyethylene-based fiber) can be used.

The fused yarn 26 only needs to be partially meltable and solidified, and examples of this type of fused yarn 26 include all-melt type, mixed fiber type, and core-sheath type fused yarns 26.
The mixed fiber type fused yarn 26 is a synthetic fiber in which fibers having a relatively high melting point and fibers having a relatively low melting point (fused portion) are mixed. The core-sheath-type fusion yarn 26 is, for example, a synthetic fiber having a relatively high melting point core material portion and a relatively low melting point fusion portion.

Here, the number of the fused yarns 26 is appropriately set according to the thickness (fineness) of the bundle of conductive yarns 24, the thickness and the number of twists of the winding yarn 28 described later, and the like.
For example, for one bundle of conductive fibers having a diameter of about 260 μm made of 1000 carbon fibers having a diameter of 7 μm, one fused yarn made of 10 filaments having a diameter of 33 μm and having a diameter of about 100 μm is arranged. At this time, a wound yarn, which is a 330 false-twisted filament PET false twisted yarn, can be spirally arranged around the both yarns at a covering twist number of 1500 T / m.
Moreover, durability of the 1st wire 20f can also be improved by using two or more fusion yarns 26.

(Formation of core yarn)
The core yarn 22 is formed by disposing the above-described fused yarn 26 along the axial direction of the conductive yarn 24 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
For example, the fused yarn 26 can be disposed along the axial direction of the conductive yarn 24 by aligning the conductive yarn 24 and the fused yarn 26 (arranging both yarns substantially in parallel).
Further, the conductive yarn 24 can be disposed in the axial direction while performing, for example, a release twist (twisting with a smaller number of twists than a winding yarn 28 described later) on the fusion yarn 26. Note that the release twist is not usually treated as a yarn twist.

(Winding thread)
The winding yarn 28 is a wire (non-adhesive wire) made of a synthetic fiber or natural fiber different from the fusion yarn 26, and is arranged in a spiral shape around the core yarn 22 (see FIG. 3).
As described above, the winding yarn 28 is arranged in a spiral shape around the core yarn 22 (conductive yarn 24, fusion yarn 26), thereby preventing the fusion yarn 26 from being exposed as much as possible, and the core yarn 22 (conductive yarn). 24) It is possible to prevent or reduce the deviation of the winding yarn 28 relative to 24).
Since the winding yarn 28 is disposed around the core yarn 22 after the conductive yarn 24 and the fused yarn 26 are aligned (after the core yarn 22 is formed), the winding yarn 28 can be effectively fixed. At this time, the fixing point of the winding yarn 28 is not the whole but a part of the conductive yarn 24, so that it does not become hard and the foreign matter feeling can be suppressed.

The winding yarn 28 may be single covering or double covering. As the material of the winding yarn 28, synthetic fibers (including regenerated fibers) or natural fibers (including semi-synthetic fibers) of the same type as the second wire 20s described later can be used.
The process of melting the fusing yarn 26 and bonding the conductive yarn 24 and the winding yarn 28 is not limited, and may be performed before weaving or before being used as a product in order to suppress deviation during weaving. That's fine.

The number of twists of the winding yarn 28 with respect to the core yarn 22 is appropriately set depending on the thickness (fineness) of the core yarn 22 and the winding yarn 28.
For example, in the case of single covering, desired durability can be imparted to the first wire 20f by setting the twist number of the winding yarn 28 to 20 to 2000 T / m. Here, when the number of twists of the winding yarn 28 is less than 20 T / m, the desired durability of the first wire 20 f tends not to be obtained.
Then, by setting the number of twists of the winding yarn 28 to a condition in which the conductive yarn 24 is not exposed, the first wire 20f having desired durability can be obtained.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the preparation method (an example) of the 1st wire 20f is demonstrated.
The apparatus of the figure has a plurality of rollers (R1 to R5) and a plurality of bobbins (B1 to B4), and can be wound up above the apparatus while forming the first wire rod 20f.
In this apparatus, while the conductive yarn 24 is pulled out from the bobbin B1, the fused yarn 26 is taken out from the bobbin B2, and the conductive yarn 24 and the fused yarn 26 are wound up while being aligned (the core yarn 22 is formed).
Next, the first wire rod 20f can be created by taking out the winding yarn 28 (described later) from the bobbin B3 and the bobbin B4 and winding them around the core yarn 22 in a spiral shape. At this time, in the first wire 20 f, the core yarn 22 is double covered with the winding yarn 28.

[Second wire]
Examples of the second wire rod 20s include yarns using natural fibers (plant-based and animal-based natural fibers, regenerated fibers such as rayon) and synthetic fibers (synthetic fibers such as polyamide and polyester, and semi-synthetic fibers such as acetate). (See FIG. 2).
As the second wire rod 20s, only one type of the above-described fibers or threads may be used, or two or more types may be used in combination. The second wire 20s usually has a specific resistance exceeding 10 ⁸ Ω · cm and is insulative.

(The heat resistance of the second wire)
The temperature at which the second wire 20s is melted by heating or the temperature at which it burns without melting is preferably lower than the conductive yarn 24, and the LOI is less than 26 in the case of a wire that does not melt and burns. . Natural fibers often have an LOI of less than 26, for example, a cotton LOI is 18-20 and a wool LOI is 24-25.
Furthermore, the synthetic fiber often has a lower melting point than the conductive yarn 24, and the combustibility is often higher than that of the conductive yarn 24. For example, the LOI of polyester fiber is 18-20, and the LOI of nylon fiber is 20-22.

(Disposition relationship between the first wire and the second wire)
The first wire 20f may be knitted (single) between the second wires 20s, or a plurality (2 to 10, particularly 2 to 5) may be continuously knitted (see FIGS. 2 and 5). ). In FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, for convenience, reference numeral 20 s is given to the cloth material portion formed of the second wire.
Also in this case, the arrangement of the plurality of first wire rods 20f continuously knitted in the wale direction of the knitted fabric may be equally spaced or may not be equally spaced. In this way, whether the vehicle seat is evenly heated or whether the specific portion is sufficiently warmed can be adjusted by the interval at which the first wire rod 20f (conductive yarn 24) is arranged, the number of continuous braiding, and the like. it can.

The interval W1 of the first wire 20f (conductive yarn 24) in the second wire 20s knitted as the constituent yarn is not particularly limited, but the interval is preferably about 2 to 100 mm, particularly about 5 to 50 mm (see FIG. 5).
If the interval W1 is narrow (for example, set to less than 2 mm), the current can be evenly heated, but if the current per conductive yarn decreases and the temperature decreases, or if the voltage is increased to increase the temperature, the power consumption Will increase.
If the interval W1 is wide (for example, if it is set to exceed 100 mm), the current per one conductive yarn increases and the temperature rises or the voltage can be lowered to suppress the power consumption. However, since the interval W1 is wide, uneven temperature tends to occur.

In addition, the arrangement of the first wire rods 20f in the wale direction of the knitted fabric is not particularly limited, and the first wire rods 20f may be knitted at substantially equal intervals or may not be equally spaced.
When the fabric material 10 is used as a heater member, the entire surface of the vehicle seat 2 (the seat cushion 4 and the seat back 6) can be warmed more evenly by weaving the first wire 20f (conductive yarn 24) at substantially equal intervals. it can.
Further, when it is desired to sufficiently warm a specific part of the seated person (thigh, shoulder, back, etc.), the first wire 20f is relatively densely arranged at the corresponding part of the cloth material 10 (heater member). It can also be arranged relatively sparsely in other places.

[Method for manufacturing fabric material (heater member)]
The manufacturing method of a heater member has a cutting-out process, a shaping process, and a connection process (refer FIG. 5).
In this embodiment, a knitted fabric (raw fabric) having a weft knitting structure composed of the first wire 20f and the second wire 20s is created before each step. As described above, the original fabric is knitted by circular knitting or flat knitting, for example, knitted by circular knitting, and after the original fabric is opened, a knitted piece described later is cut out.

(Cut out process)
In the cutting process, a substantially rectangular (rectangular, square) knitted piece is cut from the original fabric. The shape of the knitted piece is substantially rectangular, and may be either rectangular or square. However, since the knitted piece is used for a seat such as a vehicle seat, either the seat cushion 4 (seat surface) or the seat back 6 (backrest) is used. Even so, it is often rectangular.
The method of cutting out the knitted piece from the original fabric is not particularly limited, and it can be cut out by a cutter, and can be cut out by irradiating a laser such as a carbon dioxide laser, YAG laser, or excimer laser.

(Shaping process)
In the shaping step, a heater member is created by shaping a knitted piece cut from the original fabric into a predetermined shape (by making it a predetermined shape). For example, in the same step, the knitted piece is shaped into a predetermined shape substantially the same as the seat surface or the backrest. More specifically, both ends in the course direction of the rectangular knitted piece cut out from the raw fabric are fixed with a needle, a clip, etc., and stretched in both directions in the course direction to have a predetermined shape. The shape can be fixed and shaped while held.
Although the shaping method is not particularly limited, since the second wire 20s is used for the knitted fabric, the knitted piece fixed in a predetermined shape is placed at a temperature corresponding to the material of the second wire 20s (for example, the type of synthetic resin). By heating for a predetermined time and shaping by heat setting, a cloth material 10 (heater member) having a predetermined shape can be obtained.

(Connection process)
In the connecting step, the connecting member 12 is connected to both ends of the cloth material 10 (heater member) in the course direction, and the conductive yarn 24 of the cloth material 10 is connected to the ECU (see FIGS. 5 to 7).
For example, both end portions of each of the plurality of conductive yarns 24 included in the cloth material 10 (heater member) are electrically connected to the connection member 12 for connecting to the ECU.
In the connecting step, both ends in the course direction of the conductive yarn 24 included in the cloth material 10 (heater member) are connected to the conductor included in the connecting member 12, and connection terminals at one end in the length direction of each connecting member 12 are connected. By connecting to the ECU, electric power is supplied from the power supply by a signal from the ECU, and the conductive yarn 24 is energized.

(Connecting member)
Although the structure of the connection member 12 is not specifically limited, The connection member 12 by which the plating process is given to the surface to which the edge part of the electrically conductive thread 24 is connected at least of the strip | belt-shaped base material which consists of a textile fabric etc. is mentioned. In this connection member 12, the plating layer 12a (an example of a conductor) and the end of the conductive thread 24 are connected and fixed by overlocking or the like (sewing line SEW2). Thereafter, one side end portion of the belt-like base material is attached to the side end portion in the course direction of the heater member by sewing (stitch line SEW1).
The connecting member 12 (base material) is easy to work when attached to the cloth material 10 (heater member), and easily deformed by a load when an occupant sits on a chair such as a vehicle seat. From the viewpoint, it is preferably flexible.

The connecting member 12 may be attached to the knitted piece before shaping, which is cut out from the original end, or may be attached to the shaped fabric material 10 (heater member), but before shaping. It is preferable to attach to the knitted piece.
If the knitted piece has a substantially rectangular shape before shaping, both end portions in the course direction are linear, and the work is easy when the connecting member 12 is attached by sewing or the like. Further, when both ends of the knitted piece in the course direction are fixed with a needle and a clip and stretched in both directions in the course direction and shaped into a predetermined shape, if the connecting member 12 is attached in advance, this connecting member 12 can be fixed with a needle and a clip and stretched, and both end portions can be fixed more easily and more reliably.

Here, in the vicinity of both ends of the conductive yarn 24, the non-conductive second wire 20s and other configurations (the fused yarn 26, the wound yarn 28, etc.) of the first wire 20f are mixed. The member (non-conductive material) needs to be removed before the connection member 12 is attached. Since these non-conductive materials have a lower melting point than the conductive yarn 24 or start to burn at a lower temperature, they are melted or burned and removed by heating both ends of the knitted piece. Can do.
The heating means is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of bringing a heating member or the like into contact by electrothermal heating, a method of irradiating a laser such as a carbon dioxide laser, YAG laser, or excimer laser, and a method of irradiating a laser is preferable.

  If it is a method of irradiating a laser, the intensity and output of the laser can be easily adjusted to the level required for melting and burning the non-conductive material depending on the material of the non-conductive material, etc. Can be removed well. Furthermore, the laser may be irradiated from any surface of the cloth material 10 (heater member), and by irradiating the surface of the cloth material 10 while shifting the focal position, it can be processed to be wide at a time, The non-conductive material can also be removed in the form of a band by reciprocating in the wale direction of the cloth material 10 for irradiation. In addition, by blowing an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or helium gas together with the laser irradiation, the oxidative deterioration of the conductive yarn 24 due to heating can be prevented or at least suppressed.

All of the non-conductive material at both ends of the cloth material 10 (heater member) may be removed by heating, but it is not easy to remove the non-conductive material by heating, melting or burning the entire surface of the cloth material 10.
Therefore, the non-conductive material is removed in a strip shape in the wale direction of the cloth material 10 at the boundary between the cloth material 10 main body and both sides thereof (connection end portion 30) (see FIG. 8). After that, it is preferable to pull the connection end portion 30 and remove it from the conductive yarn 24 to remove all of the non-conductive material on both sides of the cloth material 10. In this way, the nonconductive material can be removed more efficiently.

When the connecting end 30 is pulled out as described above, it is preferable that both end portions of the first wire 20f (conductive yarn 24) are not knit and tucked, that is, are substantially linear. Alternatively, it is preferable that at least knits and tacks are reduced as much as possible so that many parts are linear.
As described above, if the end of the conductive yarn 24 is linear or many portions are linear, the connecting end 30 (non-conductive material) can be easily pulled out from the conductive yarn 24 and removed. The thread 24 can be easily and reliably exposed.

And the cloth material 10 (heater member) is stuck on the back surface of the skin material and used for, for example, the seat cushion 4 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). At this time, the position of the connecting member 12 in the width direction of the seat cushion 4 is not particularly limited, but if the connecting member 12 is in a portion where the buttocks or thighs of the seat cushion 4 are touched, the hardness I feel uncomfortable. Moreover, when using for the seat back 6, if the connection member 12 exists in the part which the back | bag, the shoulder part, etc. of the seat back 6 touch, it will feel hardness and will be uncomfortable.
Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the connecting member 12 so as to be positioned outside the sewing portion between the skin material and other members such as side materials adjacent to the skin material. In this way, it is possible to improve durability without causing a sense of discomfort to the seated passenger.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the fused yarn 26 is arranged in the axial direction of the conductive yarn 24 to form the core yarn 22, and then the wound yarn 28 is arranged around the core yarn 22 in a spiral shape. By doing so, the exposure of the fused yarn 26 is prevented as much as possible, and the shift of the winding yarn 28 with respect to the core yarn 22 is prevented as much as possible.
For this reason, in this embodiment, even if boarding / alighting is repeated, the displacement of the winding yarn 28 with respect to the core yarn 22 is prevented as much as possible, so that the disconnection of the first wire 20f can be suitably prevented. Further, a fused yarn 26 (fused component) exists between the conductive yarn 24 and the winding yarn 28. For this reason, when the cloth material 10 is created, the adjacent wire materials are hardly bonded to each other and hardened (a feeling of coarseness is generated), and the stretchability of the cloth material 10 is hardly hindered. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the displacement of the winding yarn 28 with respect to the core yarn 22 can be prevented as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the cloth material 10 as much as possible.
In the present embodiment, the skin material can be used as a seat heater by energizing the conductive yarn 24 via the connecting member 12. For this reason, according to this embodiment, the skin material excellent in various performance can be provided.

Hereinafter, although this embodiment is described based on an example, the present invention is not limited to the example.
[Example 1]
As the first wire of Example 1, a conductive yarn (manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., carbon fiber “Torayca T300-1K-50A”), a fused yarn (manufactured by Toray Industries Inc., “Elder” 110 dtex-10 filament-G100), winding Attached yarn (polyethylene terephthalate (PET) processed yarn, 330 dtex-60 filament) was used.
The core yarn is formed by aligning the conductive yarn and the fused yarn, and the winding number of the winding yarn is set to 1500 T / m, and the winding yarn is subjected to S and Z twist double covering. It was. After covering, the wound yarn was prevented from shifting by heat setting. When this first wire was observed from the surface of the wound yarn, the core yarn was not visible and the covering property was excellent.

Thereafter, a knitted fabric (raw fabric) having a weft knitted structure was knitted using the first wire and the second wire (PET false twisted yarn) described above.
The double jersey was knitted as a weft knitting machine using a double-sided needle selection machine (manufactured by Fukuhara Seiki Seisakusho, method “V-LEC4DS”, hook diameter 30 inches, 18 gauge, yarn feeder 48).
The single jersey was knitted using a weft knitting machine (Fukuhara Seiki Seisakusho, method “V-SEC-7”, hook diameter 30 inches, 18 gauge, yarn feeder 24). In this single jersey, out of 1728 needles, 3 sets of 496 seats (1488 in total) are used as seating parts (the main body of the cloth material 10 in FIG. 8). As the connection end portion 30), four 60 sets (240 in total) were used. In the connection portion, the first wire rod is made to be substantially straight by reducing the knit, so that it is easy to remove the PET yarn, which is a non-conductive material, and it can be easily connected.

Next, the original fabric (circular knitted fabric) is opened, and a rectangular knitted piece is cut out from the opened original fabric so that the connecting portions are arranged at both end portions of the seating portion, and the connecting portion is formed using a laser. Unnecessary PET yarns at both ends are removed, and the laser is irradiated again to remove unnecessary winding yarns (PET yarns) wound around the conductive yarns, exposing the conductive yarns (carbon fibers). It was.
Thereafter, the connecting belt as a connecting member and the conductive thread were connected by sewing. Next, the connecting belt is sewn to the both ends of the rectangular knitted piece, the needle is inserted into the sewn connecting belt, the individual needles are moved in the lateral direction to match the shape of the skin material, and the knitted piece is made into a course. Heating was set in a state pulled in the direction to obtain a heater member (a cloth material having a predetermined shape). The heat set was dry heat at 180 ° C. for 1 minute, and after cooling to room temperature (20 ° C. to 30 ° C.), the needle was removed and a heater member was obtained.

  Then, the heater member obtained by heat-setting was joined to the back surface of the surface material (skin material body) made of genuine leather using a heat bonding powder. Furthermore, a foamed polyurethane sheet having a thickness of 5 mm was attached to the back surface of the heater member (the surface opposite to the surface joined to the surface material (skin material body)). Next, a side material was connected to the outer side of the connecting portion by sewing, and a seat cover (skin material) was created and covered on the seat cushion.

[Comparative Example 1]
In Comparative Example 1, the first wire was configured by omitting the fused yarn from the first wire of Example 1. And the cloth material (heater member) of the comparative example 1 was created by the method similar to Example 1. FIG.

[Bend resistance test]
In the bending resistance test, a sample having a width of 80 mm (vertical direction in which the first wire is knitted) and a length of 25 mm was cut out and repeatedly bent 10000 times from a straight state with a radius of curvature of 1 mm to 120 ° to one side. The obtained first wire was observed.

[Test results and discussion]
In the fabric material of Comparative Example 1 after the bending resistance test, it was confirmed that the winding yarn was shifted outside the bent portion at any bending point, and the conductive yarn (carbon fiber) was exposed, where the conductive yarn was broken. It was done.
In contrast, in the fabric material of Example 1 after the bending resistance test, no deviation of the winding yarn with respect to the core yarn was observed, and no breakage of the conductive yarn (carbon fiber) occurred. This is presumably because stress concentration was not generated in a part of the core yarn by covering the core yarn (carbon fiber) with the winding yarn. That is, generally, due to repeated bending of the first wire rod, the winding yarn is likely to be displaced at the tip (bending point) of the loop formed by the first wire rod of the knitted fabric. Therefore, in this example, it is considered that the carbon fiber could be prevented from being broken by fixing the conductive yarn (carbon fiber) and the winding yarn with the fusion yarn.
Furthermore, in the fabric material of Example 1, the fused yarn component was not exposed on the surface of the first wire, and was not bonded to the adjacent yarn.
From the above test results, it was found that according to the present example, the displacement of the winding yarn relative to the core yarn can be prevented as much as possible while maintaining the performance of the cloth material as much as possible.

The cloth material of the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can take other various embodiments.
(1) The cloth material of this embodiment is used as a skin material (for example, 4S, 6S, 8S) of various configurations of the vehicle seat 2 such as a top plate main portion, a top plate side portion, a stile portion, and a back portion. be able to. Moreover, the cloth material can be used as a constituent member of the skin material of various seats such as a home seat, in addition to the skin material of a vehicle seat (an example of a seat).
(2) In the present embodiment, the cloth material 10 that functions exclusively as a heater member has been described. The cloth material 10 can be used as an electrode of a capacitive sensor. In this case, a single connection member can be attached only to one side of the cloth material 10.

(3) In the present embodiment, the example in which the cloth material 10 is attached to the back surface of the surface material (skin material body) has been described. However, the configuration of the surface material is not limited. For example, the skin material itself can be made of a cloth material. At this time, the first wire may be woven into the skin material, or may be knitted. Moreover, a 1st wire can also be affixed on the back surface etc. of a skin material.
Further, a pad material (urethane laminate or the like) can be disposed between the surface material (skin material body) and the cloth material.

2 Vehicle Seat 10 Cloth Material 12 Connection Member 20f First Wire 20s Second Wire 22 Core Yarn 24 Conductive Yarn 26 Fusion Yarn 28 Winding Yarn 30 Connection End

Claims (2)

In a cloth material having a conductive wire,
The wire includes a bundle of a plurality of conductive yarns, a fusion yarn having a fusing property, and a wound yarn made of a synthetic fiber or a natural fiber different from the fusion yarn, and the shaft of the conductive yarn. A fabric material having a configuration in which the fused yarn is arranged in the core direction to form the core yarn, and then the wound yarn is arranged in a spiral shape around the core yarn. A seat that covers a cushion material that forms an outer shape of a seat with the skin material having the cloth material according to claim 1, and allows the conductive yarn to be energized through a connection member.

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