JP2015026422A - Conductive cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conductive cloth capable of assuring an insulation of conductive fibers disposed on a cloth, and hence enhancing the intensity of the conductive fiber.SOLUTION: A conductive cloth of the present invention includes: a first cloth (10) having a conductive fiber (1); and a conduction body (4) electrically connected to the conductive fiber. The first cloth also includes an uneven-distributing surface (11) of which the conductive fiber is exposing toward one side of the first cloth in the thickness direction. The first cloth includes a folding part (12) having a folded portion at the end part thereof, and a conductor sandwiched in the uneven-distributing surface in the folding part, so that the conduction body and the conductive fiber are electrically connected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a conductive fabric. Specifically, the present invention relates to a conductive fabric including conductive fibers that can be energized.

  Conventionally, as a heating means, a cloth material provided with a conductive wire that can generate heat when energized is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this cloth material, the conductive wire has an exposed portion exposed from the cloth material in a part of its length direction. And it discloses that a connection body and an exposure part are electrically connected when an electroconductive connection body pinches | interposes the said exposure part.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-243397

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the exposed portion of the conductive wire is exposed from the end portion of the cloth material, it does not have electrical insulation, and may be short-circuited when it comes into contact with other components. Further, since only the conductive wire is exposed from the end portion of the cloth material, the strength of the exposed portion becomes very weak and the conductive wire may be broken.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a conductive fabric capable of ensuring the electrical insulation of the conductive fibers provided on the fabric and improving the strength of the conductive fibers.

  The conductive fabric which concerns on the aspect of this invention is equipped with the 1st fabric which has a conductive fiber, and the electrically conductive body electrically connected to a conductive fiber. Further, the first fabric has an unevenly distributed surface from which the conductive fiber is exposed. And the 1st fabric has the folding | returning part by which the edge part is return | folded, and pinches | interposes a conductor with the uneven distribution surface in the said folding | returning part.

  In the conductive fabric according to the aspect of the present invention, the conductive body and the conductive fiber can be electrically connected or in direct contact with each other, so that electrical contact can be ensured. Moreover, since a conductor and a conductive fiber are covered with fibers other than a conductive fiber, electrical insulation can be ensured and a short circuit can be prevented. Furthermore, since the fibers other than the conductive fibers function as a conductor and a protective layer for the conductive fibers, durability is improved.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the conductive fabric which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the electroconductive fabric which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the electroconductive fabric which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the conductive fiber used with a conductive fabric. It is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicular seat to which a cloth heater concerning this embodiment is applied.

  Hereinafter, a conductive fabric according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the dimension ratio of drawing quoted by the following embodiment is exaggerated on account of description, and may differ from an actual ratio.

[Conductive fabric]
As shown in FIG. 1, the conductive fabric 100 of the present embodiment includes a first fabric 10 having conductive fibers 1, and the conductive fibers 1 are formed from one end 2 to the other end 3 of the first fabric 10. Are provided continuously. That is, the first fabric 10 has a configuration in which the conductive fiber 1 exists inside the conductive fabric 100 by being driven at predetermined intervals when the conductive fabric 100 is woven. Then, when the conductive fiber 1 is energized through the conductive body 4 electrically connected to the conductive fiber 1, the conductive fiber 1 generates heat due to Joule heat. As described above, the conductive fabric 100 can exhibit characteristics such as flexibility of the fiber material and can also function as a heater.

  In the first fabric 10 in the present embodiment, the weft is composed of conductive fibers 1 and non-conductive fibers (non-conductive fibers) 1a, and the warp is composed of non-conductive fibers 1b. Specific examples of the first fabric 10 include woven fabrics such as plain weave, satin weave, twill weave and honeycomb, warp knitting such as single tricot and double tricot, circular knitting, and the like. Among these, a mesh fabric in which fibers are woven in the transverse direction or the longitudinal direction is particularly preferable, and a plain fabric is particularly preferable. By setting it as such an aspect, it becomes possible to connect the electrically conductive fiber 1 and the conductor 4 in the 1st fabric 10 easily.

  And as shown in FIG.1 (b) and (c), the 1st fabric 10 is provided with the uneven distribution surface 11 which the conductive fiber 1 exposes to the single side | surface side of the thickness direction of a 1st fabric. That is, the conductive fiber 1 is exposed on the back side of the first fabric 10, and the conductive fiber 1 and the conductive body 4 can directly contact each other. In addition, as a method of exposing the conductive fiber 1 on one side of the first fabric 10, the conductive fiber 1 can be exposed by adjusting and weaving the tension of the conductive fiber 1 and the nonconductive fiber 1a as the weft.

  In the first fabric 10 in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, a folded portion 12 is formed by folding back one end 2 and the other end 3. Then, the unevenly distributed surfaces 11 where the conductive fibers 1 are exposed in the folded portion 12, that is, the back surfaces are opposed to each other, and the conductive body 4 and the conductive fibers 1 are electrically connected by sandwiching the conductive body 4 between the unevenly distributed surfaces 11. It is connected to the.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the conductive fiber 1 is woven, the conductive fiber 1 is driven into the conductive fabric, particularly on the back side, by being driven at predetermined intervals at which the conductive fabric wire is woven. And is partially exposed on the back side. For this reason, as described above, the conductive body 4 is sandwiched between the unevenly-distributed surfaces 11 of the folded portion 12, thereby ensuring electrical contact between the conductive fiber 1 and the conductive body 4 exposed only on the back surface side. Further, since the non-conductive fibers 1a and 1b constituting the weft and warp other than the conductive fiber 1 do not have conductivity, they occupy the surface of the conductive fabric 100, thereby exhibiting an electrical insulating effect. As a result, it is possible to suppress a short circuit between the conductive fiber 1 and the conductive body 4 and other components.

  In addition, as shown in FIG.1 (c), the conductor 4 can exhibit the effect of this invention, even if a part of conductor 4 is exposed from the folding | returning part 12. As shown in FIG. However, from the viewpoint of preventing a short circuit, it is preferable that the conductive body 4 is completely covered by the folded portion 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the conductive fabric of the present embodiment may further include a second fabric 20 joined to the first fabric in addition to the first fabric 10. As the second fabric 20, a fabric made of conductive fibers and non-conductive fibers, or a wide general fabric made of non-conductive fibers can be used. In the conductive fabric 101, the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 are bonded via the bonding portion 13. In the present embodiment, the joint portion 13 is formed by sewing together with a sewing thread, but the joint portion may be formed by heat fusion, an adhesive, or the like.

  And in the conductive fabric 101 of this embodiment, the conductor 4 is inserted | pinched by the uneven distribution surface 11 in the folding | turning part 12 in which the junction part 13 of the 1st fabric 10 and the 2nd fabric 20 was provided. That is, after the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 are stitched together, the conductor 4 is sandwiched between the unevenly-distributed surfaces. As described above, since the cloth not including the conductive fiber can be sewn to the portion where the conductive fiber 1 is not necessary, and the seam itself can be the conductive body 4 as will be described later, it is necessary to conduct electricity in a small space. It is possible to secure a place.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as the 2nd fabric 20 joined to the 1st fabric 10, If it is a nonelectroconductive fabric which does not impair the electroconductivity of a conductive fabric, common fabrics, such as a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, and a knitted fabric, will be used. Can be used.

  Moreover, in the conductive fabric 101, it is preferable that the sewing thread which sews the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 contains conductive fibers. That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, the seam 14 as the joint portion also functions as the conductive body 4 by imparting conductivity to the sewing thread itself. In addition, by using conductive fibers as the conductive body 4, the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 can ensure sufficient air permeability as compared with the case where, for example, a metal plate is used as the conductive body 4. . Furthermore, when a conductive fiber is used as the conductive body 4, it is not necessary to install another conductive body. In addition, as such a fiber-shaped conductive body (sewing thread), the same fiber as the conductive fiber 1 can be used.

  In addition, as shown in FIG.2 (b), when the electroconductive seam 14 is exposed outside, there exists a possibility of short-circuiting, when contacting with other components. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to wrap the conductive seam 14 inside the folded portion 12. Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 are joined with a conductive sewing thread to produce a seam 14. Since the seam 14 is formed of a conductive sewing thread, it functions not only as a joint between the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 but also as the conductive body 4.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, after the end portion where the seam 14 is formed is tilted to the first fabric side, the end portion is folded back multiple times, and the seam 14 is wrapped inside the folded portion 12. . In the present embodiment, the end portion where the seam 14 is formed is folded in three, and the seam 14 is disposed inside. Then, the seam 14 can be enclosed inside by forming the junction part 15 in the both ends of a folding | turning part. The joining portion 15 may be formed by, for example, heat fusion, a joining member such as an adhesive, or may be formed by stitching with a non-conductive sewing thread.

  As described above, in the conductive fabric of the present embodiment, the first fabric 10 includes the unevenly distributed surface 11 where the conductive fiber 1 is exposed on one side in the thickness direction of the first fabric 10. And the 1st fabric 10 has the folding | returning part 12 by which the edge part is return | folded, and the conduction | electrical_connection body 4 and the conductive fiber 1 are electrically connected by pinching | interposing the conduction | electrical_connection body 4 in the uneven distribution surface 11 in the folding | returning part 12. It is connected. Therefore, electrical contact between the conductor 4 and the conductive fiber 1 can be ensured. Moreover, since the conductor 4 and the conductive fiber 1 are covered with the weft and warp yarns other than the conductive fiber, insulation can be ensured and a short circuit can be prevented. Furthermore, since the weft and warp other than the conductive fiber also function as a protective layer for the conductive body 4 and the conductive fiber 1, the durability of the folded portion is improved.

  Next, the conductive fibers and non-conductive fibers that can be used for the first fabric 10 and the second fabric 20 of the present embodiment, and the conductive body 4 will be described in detail.

<Conductive fiber>
The conductive fiber 1 used for the conductive fabric of this embodiment is, for example, a columnar shape and has a conductive fiber body. In this embodiment, in order for the conductive fiber 1 to function as a conducting wire, at least the fiber main body needs to be continuously present from one end to the other end of the conductive fiber.

  As the conductive fiber, (1) a synthetic fiber in which particles having good conductivity are uniformly dispersed, or (2) a metal fiber obtained by fiberizing a metal can be used. Moreover, (3) what coat | covered the surface of the organic fiber with the metal, and (4) what coat | covered the surface of the organic fiber with the resin containing an electroconductive substance can be used.

  In this embodiment, it is not limited to the aspect which uses the conductive fiber 1 one by one. That is, the conductive fiber 1 can be made into a bundle (bundle shape) of several tens to several thousand pieces and used for forming a fabric. By doing in this way, handling as a fiber becomes easy. Moreover, when making into a bundle form, twist can also be applied. That is, a fabric can be formed using these fibers and / or bundle-like fibers.

  In addition, the “fiber” in the present specification refers to a fiber that is spun by a method such as melt spinning, wet spinning, electrospinning, or a slit such as film cutting. The diameter and width of these fibers are not particularly limited, but those of about several μm to several hundreds of μm per one are preferable for forming a woven fabric and a knitted fabric. That is, the diameter of the conductive fiber 1 in the present embodiment is preferably about 0.5 μm to 600 μm, more preferably about 10 μm to 300 μm, and particularly preferably about 20 μm to 100 μm. The conductive fiber 1 having such a size is preferable from the viewpoints of ease of weaving and knitting, softness of the resulting woven fabric and knitted fabric, and ease of handling as a fabric.

  The constituent material of the conductive fiber 1 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material that generates Joule heat when energized. In addition, the constituent material of the conductive fiber 1 may be a single material, or a plurality of materials may be mixed. Specific examples of the conductive material include carbon-based materials such as carbon black, carbon nanotube, ketjen black, and graphite, and metal particles having conductivity such as gold, silver, copper, tin, nickel, and aluminum. Also, fine powders of semiconductors such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO) and antimony trioxide (ATO), and ceramic fine powders such as titanium oxide coated with semiconductors such as metals, ITO and ATO. Can be mentioned. Furthermore, conductive polymers such as acetylene, hetero five-membered ring, phenylene, and aniline can also be exemplified.

  In the conductive fiber, the above-described conductive material kneaded in a synthetic resin and spun can be used as the fiber body. In this case, it is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting flexibility and softness to the conductive fiber 1.

  In addition, as an example of a carbon-type material, the fiber body which consists of carbon, such as the trading card | curd (made by Toray Industries, Inc.) generally marketed and Donakabo (made by Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.), can be used. In addition, fibers spun by mixing carbon fiber or carbon powder can be used.

Moreover, as another electroconductive material, metal fine particles, such as carbon fiber and iron and aluminum, are mentioned, for example. In addition, oxide semiconductor fine particles such as tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) and zinc oxide (ZnO) can be given. Those using these materials alone, those coated on the surface of other materials by vapor deposition or coating, etc., those used as a core material (core portion) and having the outer surface coated with other materials, and the like can be used. Among the above, it is desirable to use carbon fiber or carbon powder from the viewpoint of easy availability in the market and specific gravity.

  As the conductive polymer, polypyrrole, which is a conductive polymer, and poly3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT), which is a thiophene-based conductive polymer, are doped with poly-4-styrene sulfonate (PSS) ( PEDTOT / PSS), polyaniline, and polyparaphenylene vinylene (PPV) are preferably included. Among these materials, PEDOT / PSS (Clevios (registered trademark) P manufactured by HC Starck Co., Ltd.), PPV, polypyrrole, and the like can be cited as materials that can be easily obtained as fibers.

  The conductive component described above can be easily fiberized by a method such as wet spinning or electrospinning. For example, among conductive polymers, thiophene, pyrrole, and aniline can be efficiently produced by wet spinning. For example, a conductive polymer fiber can be easily obtained by extruding an aqueous dispersion of PEDOT / PSS into a acetone from a cylinder.

  Among the above, it is preferable to use a conductive polymer fiber as the conductive fiber. Here, the conductive polymer fiber refers to a material obtained by excluding the fiber made of metal among the above-described conductive materials. Since the metal is a conductor having a particularly low resistivity, it is desirable that the metal be an extremely thin fiber in order to generate heat efficiently. However, when a thin metal fiber is used, heat is generated in a very thin line, and there is a tendency that the influence of heat insulation by non-conductive polymer fiber or air existing around the metal fiber cannot be ignored. In the case of a thin metal fiber, the possibility of disconnection is increased. Therefore, from the viewpoint of securing the performance as a heater and ensuring the strength, it is preferable to use conductive polymer fibers excluding metal fibers. When the diameter of the metal fiber is increased, the softness of the metal fiber becomes a neck. Moreover, when only a metal fiber is used as the conductive fiber 1, it is difficult to support the force in the compression direction of the cloth. In this case, it is recommended to mix other non-conductive fibers. However, since a heat insulating layer that cannot be ignored is formed, the heat generation efficiency is lowered.

  In the present specification, the above-described conductive component is dispersed or applied to a general polymer fiber, or is a fiber of itself, etc., except for metal fibers, which are electrically conductive. It is called polymer fiber.

  In the present embodiment, the conductive fiber 1 is more preferably a polymer fiber including at least one selected from the group consisting of a semiconductor, a conductive polymer, and carbon. Since such a conductive polymer fiber has particularly high conductivity, the function of the conductive fiber 1 as a conductor portion can be further improved. Moreover, it is especially preferable to use carbon fiber among carbon.

  The blending amount of the conductive component in the polymer fiber is not particularly limited, but is desirably 0.5 to 30% by volume. When the blending amount of the conductive component is 0.5% by volume or more, sufficient conductivity can be imparted to the matrix resin. When the blending amount of the conductive component is 30% by volume or less, an increase in viscosity when the matrix resin is melted when the conductive component is mixed into the matrix resin can be suppressed. As a result, a decrease in spinnability can be suppressed and fiberization becomes easy.

  The matrix resin may be a general-purpose resin such as polyamide such as nylon 6 or nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate containing a copolymer component, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, or a mixture thereof. Use of these materials is preferable from the viewpoint of cost and practicality.

In this embodiment, it is preferable that the electrical resistivity of the conductive fiber 1 (fiber body) is 10 ⁻³ to 10 ² Ω · cm from the viewpoint of securing a more excellent heat generation function. When a woven fabric or a knitted fabric is used, the conductive fiber 1 functions as a resistor. Therefore, by setting the electrical resistivity of the conductive fiber 1 to 10 ⁻³ Ω · cm or more, excessive heat generation of the conductive fiber 1 or heat generation of the conductive wire other than the conductive fiber 1 can be effectively prevented, This is preferable for heating. Moreover, since electricity supply for heat_generation | fever is effectively performed because the electrical resistivity of the conductive fiber 1 shall be 10 < ² > ohm * cm or less, sufficient heat_generation | fever performance can be ensured. Furthermore, the heat generating function can be expressed more efficiently by setting it to about 10 ⁻² to 10 ¹ Ω · cm. In addition, the said electrical resistivity can be calculated | required based on JISK7194 (The resistivity test method by the 4-probe method of a conductive plastic).

  Examples of the conductive polymer fiber exhibiting such electrical resistivity include fibers containing at least one selected from the group consisting of polypyrrole, PEDOT / PSS, polyaniline, and polyparaphenylene vinylene (PPV). . Among them, it is preferable to use PEDOT / PSS which is a thiophene-based conductive polymer, phenylene-based polyparaphenylene vinylene (PPV), pyrrole-based polypyrrole fiber, or the like. These materials can be easily fiberized by a method such as wet spinning or electrospinning among conductive polymers. More specifically, for example, thiophene-based, pyrrole-based, and aniline-based conductive polymers can be manufactured by wet spinning. More specifically, for example, a conductive polymer fiber can be easily obtained by extruding an aqueous dispersion of PEDOT / PSS into a acetone from a cylinder.

  In addition, as the conductive fiber 1, a fiber 1A made of a uniform material as shown in FIG. 4A, or a fiber 1B having a core-sheath structure as seen in a cross section as shown in FIG. Can be used. Further, a fiber 1C having a side-by-side structure as shown in FIG. 4C, a fiber 1D having a sea-island (multi-core) structure as shown in FIG. Here, the symbol 1Ba in FIG. 4B indicates the core component of the core-sheath fiber, and the symbol 1Bb indicates the sheath component of the core-sheath fiber. Reference numeral 1Ca in FIG. 4C indicates one component of the side-by-side fiber, and reference numeral 1Cb indicates a component made of a material different from the component 1Ca. The code | symbol 1Da in FIG.4 (d) shows the island component of a sea island type fiber, and the code | symbol 1Db shows the sea component of a sea island type fiber. Such a structure is used as a means of functionalizing the fiber, such as when the fiber itself is naturally distorted and the texture is changed, or when the surface area of the fiber is increased to reduce weight and heat insulation. Used.

  And among the fiber structure shown in FIG. 4, as the conductive fiber 1 used for the conductive fabric of this embodiment, the conductive fiber 1A made of a uniform material as shown in FIG. It is preferable to use a core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B as shown in (b). In particular, the core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B covers the longitudinal side surface of the conductive core part 1Ba and has a non-conductive sheath part 1Bb. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a short circuit caused by the contact between the core 1Ba and another conductive member. In addition, it is preferable that the ratio of core part 1Ba and sheath part 1Bb is the area ratio of a cross section, and is the range of core part: sheath part = 80: 20-50: 50. When considering the balance between the strength of the fiber and the heat generation performance, such an area ratio can best manifest these functions.

  As one of the components in the conductive fiber 1A, the core portion 1Ba of the core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B, and the side-by-side type fiber 1C, and the island component 1Da of the sea-island type fiber 1D, the above-described conductive fiber body may be used. it can. Moreover, various insulating materials can be used as the sheath component 1Bb of the core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B, the other component in the side-by-side type fiber 1C, and the sea component 1Db of the sea-island type fiber 1D. For example, a material whose main component is a resin component that is not a conductive polymer can be used.

  As the resin component that is not a conductive polymer, a general resin material can be used. These general resin materials include polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate containing copolymer components, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate. Polyvinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride can be used alone or in combination. These resin materials are preferable from the viewpoint of cost and practicality.

  In the present embodiment, the sheath portion 1Bb of the core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B preferably includes an amorphous resin. As the amorphous resin, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol having an appropriately adjusted saponification degree, and a copolymer thereof are preferable from the viewpoint of productivity and cost. By using these amorphous resins as the sheath component, it is possible to prevent unexpected peeling when the sheath component is applied to the core 1Ba.

  It does not specifically limit as a manufacturing method of the core-sheath-type conductive fiber 1B. For example, it can manufacture by providing the material which comprises sheath part 1Bb around the fiber used as core part 1Ba obtained by methods, such as wet spinning and electric field polymerization. Specifically, the sheath 1Bb that covers the core 1Ba is manufactured by applying the sheath component to the core 1Ba and drying it as a continuous process after the core 1Ba is manufactured.

  When the core-sheath type conductive fiber shown in FIG. 4B is used as the conductive fiber 1 of the first fabric, the core part 1Ba is exposed by peeling off the sheath part 1Bb at the end of the conductive fiber 1. It is preferable to form an exposed portion. Thereby, the exposed part of core part 1Ba and the conductor 4 can be electrically connected, and the conduction | electrical_connection with respect to a conductive fiber can be ensured. In addition, as a manufacturing method of an exposed part, the method of using the chemical | medical agent which melt | dissolves the resin used for the sheath part, the method of mechanically removing by the fusion | melting by heat | fever, a punch, scissors, etc. are mentioned. In particular, a method using chemicals or heat is preferable because it is not necessary to damage the surface of the conductive fabric and can be peeled while maintaining the shape of the fabric.

  When the core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B is used as the conductive fiber 1 of the first fabric, the conductive fiber may be heat-sealed with the conductive body 4. Since the core-sheath-type conductive fiber 1B and the conductor 4 are heat-fused, the sheath 1Bb can be melted by heat, and at the same time, adhesion to the conductor 4 can be performed. Can be eliminated, and the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced. In addition, it is also preferable to heat-melt not only the sheath part 1Bb of the core-sheath type conductive fiber 1B but also the end part itself of the first fabric to be fused to the conductive body 4.

<Non-conductive fiber>
In the conductive fabric 100 of this embodiment, the warp and / or the weft of the first fabric 10 and the nonconductive fibers constituting the second fabric 20 are general natural fibers or synthetic fibers made of a resin material. be able to. Examples of resin materials include polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate containing a copolymer component, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, etc. It is preferable to use these polyvinyl resins alone or in combination.

<Conductor>
In the conductive fabric 100 of the present embodiment, the conductive body 4 is electrically connected to a voltage applying unit (not shown) and applies a voltage to the conductive fiber 1. Therefore, the conductive body 4 is preferably a conductive body having a higher conductivity than the conductive fiber 1. That is, even when a large current is supplied to increase the amount of heat generated by the first fabric 10, a conductive body having a low electrical resistivity is used for the conductive body 4, thereby reducing or preventing heat generation other than the conductive fiber 1 as the heat generating portion. can do. Furthermore, by connecting with a conductive body having a high conductivity, it is possible to achieve both the conduction and the strength of the conductive fiber 1. The conductivity can be calculated as the reciprocal of the value obtained by the above-described electrical resistivity measurement method. In addition, it can also measure by the alternating current two-electrode method.

  The shape of the conductive body 4 is not particularly limited as long as it is electrically connected to the conductive fiber 1 and is sandwiched and fixed by the unevenly distributed surface 11 of the folded portion 12. For example, a plate-like, rod-like, or fibrous conductor that is crimped to the conductive fiber 1 can be employed. In this case, since the conductive fiber 1 and the conductor 4 are physically bonded without interposing other components, it is preferable from the viewpoint of reducing the electrical resistance between them.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the conductor 4 contains a conductive fiber, more preferably a conductive fiber. As the conductive body 4, a metal plate or a metal tape may be used, but the conductive fiber itself is used as the conductive body 4, so that the flexibility as a fabric of the folded portion sandwiching the conductive body 4 is not impaired. There is.

  Thus, by using a conductive fiber as the conductive body 4, flexibility can be provided, but in addition, air permeability can be improved. However, as described above, the conductive fabric of the present embodiment is provided with the folded portion at the end portion, so that the air permeability of most areas can be maintained. Therefore, it is also preferable to use at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal wire, a metal fiber, and a metal foil as the conductor 4 without being limited to the above-described conductive fiber. By using the metal wire, the metal fiber, and the metal foil, the conductivity of the conductor 4 can be increased. As a metal wire, metal fiber, and metal foil, what consists of copper, aluminum, nickel, etc. can be used, for example. Further, the metal fiber may be formed by twisting together with a conventional general fiber, or may be formed of a plated wire, and is formed by twisting a plurality of these wires into a bundle. May be.

  In addition, as described above, a fiber that is sewn to the conductive fiber 1 and has a higher conductivity than the conductive fiber 1 can be used as the conductive body 4. It is preferable to use the fiber-shaped conductive body 4 as the conductive body 4 because sufficient air permeability can be secured in the first fabric 10. In addition, when the conductive fiber 1 is connected to a fibrous conductor having high conductivity, an effect that a necessary voltage is applied by the conductive fiber 1 is also obtained. As the fibrous conductor, the same fiber as the conductive fiber 1 or a metal wire having substantially the same cross-sectional area as the conductive fiber 1 can be used. More specifically, for example, a stranded wire formed by twisting a metal such as nickel can be used.

  Furthermore, as the conductive body 4, a conductive body that is bonded to the conductive fiber 1 through an adhesive can be employed. In this case, the adhesive between the conductive fiber 1 and the conductive body becomes stronger due to the adhesive. Specifically, a copper tape, an aluminum tape, a stainless tape, or the like that is conductive on the bonding surface can be used. In addition, it is preferable that this adhesive material has a higher electrical conductivity than the conductive fiber 1. By using such an adhesive, the electrical resistance between the conductive fiber 1 and the conductive body 4 can be reduced. For example, it can be connected with a conductive paint, and examples of the conductive paint include Dotite manufactured by Fujikura Kasei Co., Ltd.

[Cloth heater]
The conductive fabric of this embodiment can be used as a fabric heater. For example, the conductive fabric can be used as an electric blanket or a bed sheet in a hospital or a nursing facility. The conductive fabric of the present embodiment is very effective because the fabric itself generates heat and can be substituted as a fabric while maintaining air permeability.

[Vehicle heater]
The cloth heater of this embodiment can improve the energy efficiency for warming a passenger | crew by replacing with the heater used for a vehicle. In addition, the time until the passenger warms up can be greatly shortened. As an example, FIG. 5 shows an example in which the cloth heater 110 of the present embodiment is installed on the seating surface of the seat cushion 201 of the vehicle seat 200. In addition, the disconnection part and joining part of a conductive fabric can be arrange | positioned, for example to the back side of the seat cushion 201. FIG. Moreover, it can also fix by drawing in a disconnection part and a junction part in the groove-shaped part formed in the seat cushion 201. FIG. In addition, the assembly location of the cloth heater 110 is not specifically limited. For example, the present invention can be applied to the front side and the back side of the seat back 202 in addition to the seat cushion 201 of the vehicle seat.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example demonstrate this invention further in detail, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

[Example 1]
Conductive polymer fibers as the core used for the production of the fabric were produced by the wet spinning method shown below. First, an aqueous dispersion of the conductive polymer PEDOT / PSS filtered once (Clevios (registered trademark) P manufactured by HC Starck Co., Ltd.) and a 7 wt% aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) Were mixed into a spinning dope. This spinning dope is 2 μL / min. The conductive polymer fiber having a diameter of about 10 μm was obtained by extruding into the solvent phase from the microsyringe at the speed of In addition, acetone (made by Wako Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used as the solvent phase. As the microsyringe, MS-GLL100 manufactured by Ito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. having an inner diameter of the needle portion of 260 μm was used.

The conductivity of the obtained conductive polymer fiber was measured according to JIS K7194. As a result, the resistivity of the conductive polymer fiber was about 10 ⁻¹ Ω · cm. Then, 20 conductive polymer fibers were bundled to form a core part.

  Next, as a sheath component, a 17 wt% solution prepared by dissolving polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) in cyclohexanone (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) was prepared. The solution was applied to the core and dried to obtain a core-sheath type conductive fiber having a cross-sectional area ratio of 1: 1.

  Next, the core-sheath type conductive fiber and the polyester fiber (Gunze Polina manufactured by Chuo Textile Materials Co., Ltd.) were arranged alternately. Then, a plain woven fabric was produced by using alternating core-sheath type conductive fibers and polyester fibers as weft yarns and polyester fibers as warp yarns. At this time, the tension of the weft was adjusted so that the conductive fiber of the weft was exposed on the back side.

  This plain woven fabric was cut into 54 cm square, and the core portion was exposed by eluting the sheath portion with cyclohexanone by 4 cm each at both ends of the core-sheath type conductive fiber. Then, the elution portion was folded back, and a 2 cm wide copper foil tape (manufactured by Teraoka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) as a conductor was sandwiched between the unevenly-distributed surfaces and pressed to obtain a conductive fabric of this example.

[Example 2]
A metal wire (polyester copper wire manufactured by Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.) was used as the conductor. And after pinching the metal wire between the unevenly distributed surfaces, it was fixed by applying an iron at 180 ° C. from the outside of the fold. Other than that was carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the conductive fabric of a present Example.

[Example 3]
A conductive fabric of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2 except that a silver coating fiber (manufactured by Shaoxing Unjia Boshoku Co., Ltd., silver coated nylon fiber) was used as the conductor.

[Example 4]
The conductive polymer fiber was immersed in ethylene glycol for 30 minutes to produce a conductor having a conductivity of 20 S / cm. And the conductive fabric of a present Example was obtained like Example 2 except having used this electrically conductive body.

[Example 5]
First, the center part of the seat cover of an electric vehicle leaf manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. was cut off. Next, the plain woven fabric cut into a 54 cm square in Example 1 was sewn together with a cloth excluding the center portion of the seat cover, using polyester fibers as sewing threads. And the both ends of the said plain woven fabric stitched | sutured to the center part are turned up, the copper foil tape (made by Teraoka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) of width 2cm as a conductor is pinched | interposed by the uneven distribution surface, and the conductive fabric of a present Example is carried out. Got.

[Example 6]
First, the center part of the seat cover of an electric vehicle leaf manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. was cut off. Next, the plain woven fabric cut into a 54 cm square in Example 1 is sewn together with a cloth excluding the center portion of the seat cover, using silver-coated fibers (manufactured by Shaoxing Unjia Textile Co., Ltd., silver-coated nylon fibers) as sewing threads. It was. Further, the end of the plain woven fabric was wound as shown in FIG. 3 (b) so as to insulate the silver-coated fibers, and sewn using polyester fibers to obtain the conductive fabric of this example. In this embodiment, the silver coated fiber functions as a conductor.

[Example 7]
First, the center part of the seat cover of an electric vehicle leaf manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. was cut off. Next, the flat woven fabric cut out in a 54 cm square in Example 1, the core-sheath type conductive fiber of Example 1, and the cloth excluding the center portion of the seat cover were bonded by heat fusion. Furthermore, the conductive fabric of this example was obtained by winding the end portion of the plain woven fabric so as to insulate the core-sheath type conductive fiber as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the core-sheath type conductive fiber functions as a conductor.

[Example 8]
As the conductive fiber, the bundled conductive polymer fiber of Example 1, that is, the conductive polymer fiber of the core part, was used in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the step of exposing the core part was omitted. An example conductive fabric was obtained.

[Comparative Example 1]
The core-sheath type conductive fibers and polyester fibers used in Example 1 were arranged in a staggered manner. Then, a plain woven fabric was produced by using alternating core-sheath type conductive fibers and polyester fibers as weft yarns and polyester fibers as warp yarns. At this time, the tension of the weft was adjusted so that the conductive fibers of the weft were exposed not only on the back side but also on the surface.

  This plain woven fabric was cut into 54 cm square, and the core portion was exposed by eluting the sheath portion with cyclohexanone by 4 cm each at both ends of the core-sheath type conductive fiber. And the conductive fabric of this comparative example was obtained by crimping | bonding the copper foil tape (made by Teraoka Seisakusyo Co., Ltd.) of width 2cm as a conductor, without folding this elution part.

  Table 1 shows the specifications of the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of the conductor measured in accordance with JIS K7194 is also shown.

[Temperature test]
The conductive fabrics of the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1 were connected to a DC stabilized power source (manufactured by A & D Co., Ltd.), and after 5 minutes had passed with a voltage of 12 V applied, The surface temperature was measured. As a result, the surface temperature of all conductive fabrics was 40 ° C.

  Next, the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1 were installed on the seat surface of Micra C + C manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. as a vehicle seat. Then, the temperature was set to 0 ° C. in the environmental laboratory, and the vehicle was left for 2 hours. After leaving, the passenger was seated, and after 30 seconds, a voltage of 12 V was applied to monitor the surface temperature. As a result, all the conductive fabrics reached the target temperature of 35 ° C. in 3.0 minutes.

[End insulation test]
A tester was applied to the surfaces of the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1 to conduct an end portion continuity test. As a result, conduction was not confirmed for the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8, but conduction was confirmed for the conductive fabrics of the comparative examples. That is, in an Example, since the conductive fiber is covered with the polyester fiber in the end part surface of a conductive fabric, the insulation of the surface is ensured. On the other hand, in the comparative example, since the core portion of the conductive fiber is exposed on the surface of the end portion of the conductive fabric, the insulating property cannot be ensured.

[Abrasion durability test]
A DC stabilized power source (manufactured by A & D Co., Ltd.) as a voltage applying means was connected to the conductive bodies of the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1, and a voltage of 12 V was applied. As a result, it was confirmed that the resistance value between the conductive bodies at both ends was 4Ω in all the conductive fabrics.

  Next, in accordance with JIS L1096 (woven fabric and knitted fabric testing method), the end of the conductive fabric was rubbed 8000 times, and then the change in resistance value was measured. As a result, in the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8, it was confirmed that the resistance value continued to be 4Ω even after the number of frictions was 8000 times. In contrast, in Comparative Example 1, it was confirmed that the resistance value was significantly increased.

[Bending durability test]
A DC stabilized power source was connected to the conductive bodies of the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1 in the same manner as in the wear durability test, and a voltage of 12 V was applied. As a result, it was confirmed that the resistance value between the conductive bodies at both ends was 4Ω in all the conductive fabrics.

  Next, in accordance with a bending test of JIS H3510 (electron tube oxygen-free copper plate, strip, seamless tube, bar and wire), the end of the conductive fabric was repeatedly bent 1000 times. Thereafter, the resistance value was measured again. As a result, in the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8, it was confirmed that the resistance value continued to be 4Ω even after the number of bendings was 1000 times. In contrast, in Comparative Example 1, it was confirmed that the resistance value was significantly increased.

[Measurement of conductivity of fabric]
First, the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1 were conditioned by leaving them to stand for 24 hours or more under conditions of a temperature of 20 ° C. and a humidity of 30%. Next, a test piece was collected from the conductive fabric after humidity control so that the width between the conductors was 50 cm. And the voltage was applied to the conducting body at both ends of the test piece using the voltage applying means, and the current value was measured using a current value measuring machine. Specifically, a voltage of 0 to 10 V was applied in increments of 0.5 V, and the resistance value (Ω) was calculated from the IV curve obtained thereby. At this time, AD-8735 DC POWER SUPPLY manufactured by A & D Co., Ltd. was used as the voltage application means. Moreover, 2700MULTIMETER made by KEITHLEY was used as a current value measuring machine.

And the electrical conductivity of each test piece was calculated | required by resistivity ((rho)) (ohm * cm) = (R) * (S / L). This conductivity measurement was performed on 10 test pieces, and the average value was defined as the conductivity of each test piece. Here, R represents the resistance value (Ω) of the test piece, S represents the cross-sectional area (cm ² ), and L represents the test piece length (50 cm). Here, the cross-sectional area of the test piece was calculated by observing the fabric under an electron microscope.

  Table 2 shows the temperature test, end insulation test, abrasion durability test, bending durability test, and fabric conductivity results for the conductive fabrics of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1.

  As shown in Table 2, in the conductive fabric according to the example, compared to the comparative example, the insulation at the end of the fabric is secured, and the wear resistance and the bending durability of the surface are secured. Furthermore, it can be seen from the temperature test that the conductive fabric according to the example has stable conductive performance and heat generation performance. Therefore, it becomes possible to warm a passenger | crew very quickly and more efficiently by using the cloth-like heater obtained from these conductive fabrics as a vehicle heater.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the examples and comparative examples, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Specifically, on the back surface of the first fabric of the present embodiment, a pad material or a backing base fabric may be provided as necessary except for the contact portion of the folded portion with the conductor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conductive fiber 1B Core-sheath-type conductive fiber 1Ba Core part 1Bb Sheath part 4 Conductor 10 First fabric 11 Uneven surface 20 Second fabric 100,101 Conductive fabric 110 Fabric heater 200 Vehicle seat

Claims (10)

A first fabric having conductive fibers;
A conductor electrically connected to the conductive fiber;
With
The first fabric includes an uneven surface where the conductive fiber is exposed on one side in the thickness direction of the first fabric,
The first fabric has a folded portion whose end is folded, and the conductive body and the conductive fiber are electrically connected by sandwiching the conductive body between the unevenly-distributed surfaces of the folded portion. Conductive fabric.   The conductive fabric according to claim 1, wherein the conductive body includes a conductive fiber.   3. The conductive fabric according to claim 1, wherein the conductive body has at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal wire, a metal fiber, and a metal foil. A second fabric joined to the first fabric;
The conductive fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conductive body is sandwiched between unevenly-distributed surfaces in a folded portion provided with a joint portion between the first fabric and the second fabric. The joint portion between the first fabric and the second fabric is formed by sewing with a sewing thread,
The conductive fabric according to claim 4, wherein the sewing thread contains a conductive fiber and functions as the conductive body.   The conductive fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conductive body has a higher conductivity than the conductive fiber.   The said conductive fiber is a core-sheath-type conductive fiber provided with the core part which has electroconductivity, and the sheath part which covers the side surface of the longitudinal direction in the said core part, and is nonelectroconductive. The conductive fabric according to any one of 6.   The conductive fabric according to claim 7, wherein the conductive fiber is thermally fused to the conductive body.   A cloth heater using the conductive cloth according to any one of claims 1 to 8.   A vehicle heater using the cloth heater according to claim 9.

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