JP4662815B2 - Steam generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam generator. Moreover, this invention relates to the holder used in order to fix a water vapor generation body to a wearer's body. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for using a steam generator.

  The present applicant has previously proposed a water vapor generator using heat generated by an oxidation reaction of an oxidizable metal (see Patent Document 1). This water vapor generator is used to apply water vapor to the skin and mucous membrane of the human body to promote blood circulation and to maintain or improve the skin in a preferable moisturized state. This water vapor generating body is obtained by containing a water vapor generating composition in a bag. In order to release water vapor to the outside, the bag is made of a moisture permeable material.

  Since the body surface, which is the application target site of the water vapor generator, is generally uneven, when the water is applied by bringing the generator into contact with the body surface, the generation occurs according to the uneven shape of the body surface. A part where the body is in close contact with the body surface and a part away from the body surface are generated. That is, the adhesion of the generated body to the body surface is difficult to be uniform. If the generator is too close to the surface of the body, it is difficult for water vapor to be released, the oxidation reaction hardly occurs, and the exothermic temperature may not be sufficiently increased. On the other hand, if the generator is too far away from the body surface, water vapor is likely to be released, but the oxidation reaction tends to be promoted, and the exothermic temperature tends to increase.

JP 2002-78728 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to uniformly apply water vapor to the human body.

In the present invention, a heating element is housed in a housing body having a ventilation surface and a surface that is located on the opposite side of the ventilation surface and is less air permeable or difficult to breathe than the ventilation surface. A water vapor generator configured to generate water vapor from the vent surface by utilizing heat generated by an oxidation reaction, the apparent density on the vent surface being 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ , thickness The object is achieved by providing a steam generator in which a fiber assembly having a thickness of 0.1 to 10.0 mm is disposed.

The present invention also includes a container that can accommodate and hold a steam generator, and a fixing part that extends from the container, and the steam generator holder that is used by fixing the fixing part to a wearer's body. a is, the skin-facing surface of the wearer in said housing portion, with 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ^3, the steam generator having a thickness fiber aggregate is disposed a 0.1~10.0mm A holding tool is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, a heating element is housed in a housing body having a ventilation surface and a surface that is located on the opposite side of the ventilation surface and that is less air permeable or less breathable than the ventilation surface. A water vapor generator that is configured to generate water vapor from the vent surface using heat generated by the oxidation reaction of the gas generator is attached to the holder of the generator so that the vent surface faces the wearer's body; Next, a method of using a water vapor generator for fixing the holder to the wearer's body, wherein the apparent density is 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ between the generator and the wearer's body, The present invention provides a method for using a water vapor generator in which a fiber assembly having a thickness of 0.1 to 10.0 mm is interposed.

  In the present invention, water vapor is generated from the same ventilation surface using heat generated by an oxidation reaction occurring inside the heating element by oxygen being taken in from the ventilation surface of the water vapor generation body. According to the present invention, the oxygen used for the oxidation reaction of the heating element can be stabilized by stably securing the space between the heating element ventilation surface, which is a water vapor generating portion, and the human body using the fiber assembly. Supplied. As a result, the heating temperature of the heating element is stabilized. Further, the distance between the human body that is a curved surface and the heating element that is a flat surface is close to constant. As a result, the amount of heat and water vapor transferred from the heating element to the human body are uniform and stable.

  The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the water vapor generator of the present invention. A steam generator 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a flat rectangular shape, and includes a heat generating portion 2 and a housing 3 for housing the heat generating portion 2. The container 3 has a flat bag shape, and a plurality of sheet materials are bonded together to form a hollow bag shape. The container 3 has a ventilation surface on one side, and a surface located on the opposite side of the ventilation surface is lower or less breathable than the ventilation surface (hereinafter referred to as this surface). Is referred to as a breathable surface). The heat generating portion contains water in addition to the oxidizable metal, and steam is generated by utilizing the heat generated by the heat generating portion in contact with oxygen. The water vapor is released to the outside from the ventilation surface of the container.

  The container 3 is formed in a flat bag shape by joining the peripheral edges of the moisture permeable film 3a and the hardly moisture permeable film 3b to each other. That is, one side of the container 3 has the moisture-permeable film 3a, and the other side has the hardly moisture-permeable film 3b. The moisture permeable film 3a allows water vapor generated from the heat generating portion 2 to pass through. However, the moisture-impermeable film 3b has low water vapor permeability or hardly allows water vapor to pass therethrough. That is, a large amount of water vapor is released from one side of the container 3, that is, the moisture permeable film 3 a side. The water vapor generator 1 is used so that the moisture permeable film 3a side faces an object to be subjected to water vapor. On the outside of the moisture permeable film 3a and the hardly moisture permeable film 3b, non-woven fabrics 3c and 3d such as an air-through non-woven fabric, which is a sheet material having a good texture, are arranged for the purpose of enhancing the texture of the water vapor generator 1.

The ventilation surface of the container 3 has a moisture permeability (JIS Z0208, 40 ° C., 90% RH, hereinafter referred to as a value measured by this method when referred to as moisture permeability), preferably 300 to 2000 g / m ² · 24 hr. Preferably it is 600-1000 g / m < ² > * 24hr. By setting the moisture permeability within this range, a desired vapor discharge amount and a desired temperature duration can be easily achieved. From the same point of view, the air permeability of the ventilation surface in the container 3 (JIS P8117, hereinafter referred to as the value measured by this method when referred to as air permeability) is preferably 8000 to 20000 s / 100 cm ³ , and is preferably 9000 to 13000 s. / 100 cm ³ is more preferable.

  A separating member 4 made of a fiber assembly is disposed on the surface of the container 3 on the moisture permeable film 3a side which is a ventilation surface. The separating member 4 is used to appropriately isolate the moisture permeable film 3a and the body surface and stably apply water vapor to the body surface when the water vapor generator 1 is applied to the wearer's body. is there. The isolation member 4 is joined to the surface of the container 3 by means such as adhesion with an adhesive or heat fusion.

  The space between the moisture-permeable film 3a and the body surface is ensured by the separating member 4 as necessary and sufficient. Specifically, the body pressure of the wearer can be supported on the surface by the separating member 4, and the deflection of the water vapor generator 1 due to the body pressure, and thus the contact with the body surface can be prevented. By not making the thickness of the isolation member 4 too small, the space between the moisture-permeable film 3a and the body surface is prevented from being crushed by the wearer's body pressure, and sufficient release of water vapor is ensured. On the other hand, by not making the thickness of the separating member 4 excessive, significant acceleration of the oxidation reaction is prevented, and the amount of water vapor generated and the heat generation temperature are in an appropriate range. From these viewpoints, the isolation member 4 has a thickness of 0.1 to 10.0 mm, preferably 1.0 to 5.0 mm. The thickness of the isolation member 4 is measured using a Mitutoyo constant pressure caliper (model number NTD20-20C).

  The water vapor released through the moisture permeable film 3a is applied to the body surface via the separating member 4. Therefore, it is necessary that the separating member 4 does not substantially prevent the passage of water vapor. From this point of view, in this embodiment, a fiber assembly is used as the separating member 4. The fiber aggregate generally has a large opening (distance between fibers) and does not substantially impede the permeation of water vapor. Although it is conceivable to use a porous material such as a sponge as the separating member 4, the sponge generally has a high resistance to water vapor passage, and it is difficult to apply a sufficient amount of water vapor to the body surface. Sponges tend to condense water vapor.

In general, moisture permeability is used as a measure of the ease of passage of water vapor. However, since the fiber assembly used as the separating member 4 of the present embodiment does not substantially prevent the passage of water vapor, the measurement limit is exceeded even if the moisture permeability of the fiber assembly is measured. . Therefore, in this embodiment, the apparent density of the fiber assembly is employed instead of moisture permeability as a measure of the ease of passage of water vapor through the fiber assembly. The smaller the apparent density, the larger the opening (interfiber distance) of the fiber assembly, so that the permeation of water vapor is not substantially prevented. From the viewpoint of preventing the structural stability of the fiber assembly from being lowered and from preventing crushing under a light load, it is desirable that the apparent density is not excessively reduced. From these viewpoints, the apparent density of the fiber assembly is 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ , preferably 0.03 to 0.1 g / cm ³ . The apparent density is calculated by dividing the basis weight of the fiber assembly by the thickness.

  The fiber aggregate is a structure that can maintain a certain shape using fiber as a raw material. In general, the fiber assembly may be a sheet-like material having the above thickness, that is, a fiber sheet. Examples of the fiber sheet include a web which is a structure in which raw material fibers are formed into a sheet shape by entanglement. Moreover, a nonwoven fabric, a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, these composites, etc. are mentioned. In particular, it is preferable to use a three-dimensional knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric as the fiber assembly because the apparent density described above can be easily set within the above range.

  As the three-dimensional knitted fabric, it is preferable to use a warp knitted fabric because the thickness described above can be easily set within the above range. Warp knitting is a method of knitting loops continuously in the vertical direction. Examples of warp knitted fabrics include double raschel knitted fabrics and tricot knitted fabrics. In particular, a double raschel knitted fabric is a preferable material because it can easily maintain its thickness stably even under a load and has a good texture.

  On the other hand, as the nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to use an air-through nonwoven fabric or the like from the viewpoint of being bulky and easily maintaining its thickness even under a load, but it is not limited thereto as long as the effect can be exhibited.

The thickness and the apparent density of the fiber aggregate used as the separating member 4 are as described above, and the basis weight of the fiber aggregate is 30 to 3000 g / on the condition that the thickness and the apparent density are in the above-mentioned range. m ² , particularly 50 to 500 g / m ² is preferred.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the raw material of the fiber which comprises a fiber assembly, Both a natural fiber and a synthetic fiber can be used. It is preferable to use a hydrophobic material from the viewpoint of making it difficult for water vapor condensation to occur. For example, it is preferable to use fibers made of various thermoplastic resins. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide resins such as polyamide 6 and polyamide 66, and acrylic resins. There is no restriction | limiting in particular also in the thickness of a fiber, The thing of an appropriate thickness is used according to the kind of fiber assembly. In general, the thickness of the fiber is preferably 200 to 2000 dtex.

  Even if the wearer's body position changes variously, it is the space between a moisture-permeable film 3a and a body surface that a fiber assembly can maintain the thickness against a wearer's body pressure. Is preferable because it can be stably maintained. From this viewpoint, the fiber assembly preferably has a thickness under a load of 2 kPa of 50% or more, particularly 80% or more of the thickness measured using the above-described constant-pressure caliper. Of course, the thickness under a load of 2 kPa is ideally 100% of the thickness measured using the above-described constant pressure caliper, but if the thickness of about 80% can be secured, The thickness can be sufficiently maintained against body pressure. The thickness measurement conforms to the thickness measurement method of JIS L1906.

  The separating member 4 made of a fiber assembly may be arranged so as to cover the entire ventilation surface of the water vapor generator 1 or may be arranged so as to cover a part of the ventilation surface. When the isolation member 4 covers a part of the ventilation surface, the isolation member 4 can be disposed, for example, at the center of the ventilation surface. Alternatively, it can be arranged on each of the left and right sides of the ventilation surface. Furthermore, it can also be annularly arranged on the peripheral edge of the ventilation surface. Of course, these arrangements can be combined. In any case, it is possible to stably maintain the space between the moisture-permeable film 3a and the body surface by arranging the separating member so as to cover 20% or more, particularly 50% or more of the area of the ventilation surface. It is preferable from the point.

  Next, the heat generating part 2 accommodated in the container 3 in the water vapor generator 1 will be described. The exothermic part 2 consists of an exothermic sheet or exothermic powder containing an oxidizable metal, a reaction accelerator, an electrolyte, and water. When the heat generating part 2 is formed of a heat generating sheet, the heat generating sheet is preferably composed of a fiber sheet containing an oxidizable metal, a reaction accelerator, a fibrous material, an electrolyte, and water. That is, it is preferable that the exothermic sheet is one in which a fiber sheet containing an oxidizable metal, a reaction accelerator, a fibrous material, and an electrolyte is in a water-containing state. In particular, the exothermic sheet is preferably configured by containing an electrolyte aqueous solution in a molded sheet containing an oxidizable metal, a reaction accelerator, and a fibrous material. Examples of the heat generating sheet include those obtained by wet papermaking, and laminates obtained by sandwiching heat generating powder with paper or the like. Such a heat generating sheet can be manufactured using, for example, the wet papermaking method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-102761 related to the previous application of the present applicant, or the extrusion method using a die coater. On the other hand, when the heat generating part 2 is made of heat generating powder, the heat generating powder preferably includes an oxidizable metal, a reaction accelerator, a water retention agent, an electrolyte, and water. Of the heat generating sheet and the heat generating powder, it is preferable to use the heat generating sheet because it is easy to make the temperature distribution uniform and the ability to support the oxidizable metal is excellent.

  The steam generator 1 having the configuration as described above can increase not only the surface temperature of the application site but also the deep temperature of the human body by applying this to the body surface of the human body, for example. As a result, the blood flow throughout the body increases and the temperature at the application site increases, as well as the peripheral temperature of the fingertips and the like. In addition, there is an effect of keeping the peripheral temperature warm. Therefore, the water vapor generator 1 has effects such as blood circulation promotion, muscle fatigue, muscle stiffness and muscle pain relief, coldness relief, and neuralgia relief.

  The water vapor generator 1 of the present embodiment is held by a belt-like holder as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, for example, and the holder is fixed to a human body, whereby the water vapor generator 1 1 can be applied to the human body. The holder 10 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B has a pair of fixing portions each having a rectangular accommodating portion 12 capable of accommodating and holding the water vapor generator 11 at the center and extending from both sides thereof. A first arm portion 13a and a second arm portion 13b are provided. The first arm portion 13a and the second arm portion 13b are symmetrical. The first and second arm portions 13 a and 13 b extend with an inclination with respect to a horizontal line extending in the longitudinal direction of the holder 10.

  A fastening means 15 such as a hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener is attached to the front end portion of the first arm portion 13a on the skin surface side (the paper surface side in FIG. 3A). On the other hand, on the outer surface side of the second arm portion 13b (the side opposite to the paper surface in FIG. 3A), an attaching means (not shown) capable of attaching the attaching means 15 is used, for example, a loop member of a surface fastener. Is attached.

  As for the 1st and 2nd arm parts 13a and 13b, it is preferred that base 14 located near those storage parts 12 comprises a so-called two-way elastic cloth. The expansion / contraction direction is preferably both the direction in which the arm portions 13a and 13b extend and the direction orthogonal thereto (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3A).

  As shown in FIG.3 (b), the accommodating part 12 of the water vapor | steam generator 1 is formed in the bag shape by sewing the three sheet materials 21,22,23. The outer surface side sheet material 21 is located on the outer surface side of the holder 10 and has a rectangular shape. The 1st skin surface side sheet | seat material 22 and the 2nd skin surface side sheet | seat material 23 are located in the skin surface side of the holder 10, and are each carrying the rectangular shape. The lateral widths of both skin surface side sheet materials 22 and 23 are the same as those of the outer surface side sheet material 21. The vertical length of both skin surface side sheet materials 22 and 23 is shorter than the vertical length of the outer surface side sheet material 21. The upper side and both sides of the first skin surface side sheet material 22 are stitched together with the upper side and both sides of the outer surface side sheet material 21. The second skin surface side sheet material 23 has its lower side and both side sides sewn together with the lower side and both side sides of the outer surface side sheet material 21. A lower part of the first skin surface side sheet material 22 and an upper part of the second skin surface side sheet material 23 are in an overlapped state, and the lower side 22a of the first skin surface side sheet material 22 and the second skin surface. The upper side 23a of the side sheet material 23 is a free edge. As a result, the insertion portion 24 of the water vapor generator 1 extending in the width direction of the storage portion 2 is formed in the storage portion 12 on the skin surface side. The steam generator 1 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 12 through the insertion portion 24.

  It is preferable that the outer surface side sheet material 21 is made of a fabric having a good texture. Moreover, it is preferable that the outer surface side sheet material 21 has sufficient air permeability. The outer surface side sheet material 21 can be composed of, for example, a tricot knitted fabric. Similarly, it is preferable that the 1st and 2nd skin surface side sheet materials 22 and 23 are also comprised from the fabric with the favorable texture. Moreover, it is preferable that the 1st and 2nd skin surface side sheet materials 22 and 23 are comprised from the raw material which has sufficient water-vapor permeability thru | or air permeability.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the water vapor generator 1 accommodated and held in the holder 10 is applied to, for example, the waist and abdomen of a human body. In order to fix the holding tool 10 to the human body, the holding tool 10 is wound around the torso, and the fastening means (not shown) attached to the first arm part 13a which is the fixing part is also the second fixing part. It fastens to the attaching means (not shown) attached to the arm part 13b. In this case, the water vapor generator 1 comes into contact with the body surface via the first skin surface side sheet material 22 and the second skin surface side sheet material 23 which are water vapor permeable materials in the holder 10. As described above, since the first arm portion 13a and the second arm portion 13b are made of stretchable fabric, the holder 10 is fixed in close contact with the human body. As a result, a tightening pressure is applied to the steam generator 1, and the space between the generator 1 and the body surface is reduced. However, in this embodiment, since the separating member 4 is disposed on the ventilation surface of the steam generator 1, a space between the generator 1 and the body surface is stably secured, and the steam is stabilized. Is given to the body surface.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the separating member 4 made of a fiber assembly is arranged on the ventilation surface of the container 3 in the water vapor generator 1, but in this embodiment, The container 3 is not provided with a separating member. That is, the water vapor generator in the present embodiment is the water vapor generator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 that does not include a separating member. In this embodiment, instead of the water vapor generator not including the separating member, the holder of the generator includes the separating member.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the separating member 4 made of a fiber assembly is disposed on the skin facing surface of the housing portion 12 in the belt-shaped holder 10. The separating member 4 is arranged on the first skin surface side sheet material 22 and the second skin surface side sheet material 23, respectively. The isolation member 4 and these sheet materials 22 and 23 are fixed by means such as adhesion with an adhesive, heat fusion, and stitching.

  The isolation member 4 used in this embodiment is the same as the isolation member used in the above-described embodiment. Therefore, as for details regarding the isolation member 4, the description regarding the above-described embodiment is appropriately applied.

  The isolation member 4 may be arranged on the sheet materials 22 and 23 so as to cover the whole area of the ventilation surface in the water vapor generator 1 accommodated in the accommodation part 12, or covers a part of the ventilation surface. As such, it may be arranged on the sheet materials 22 and 23. When the separating member 4 is disposed so as to cover a part of the ventilation surface, the separating member 4 can be disposed, for example, at a position on the sheet materials 22 and 23 corresponding to the central portion of the ventilation surface. Or it can arrange | position to the position on the sheet | seat materials 22 and 23 corresponding to the right-and-left both sides in a ventilation surface one each. Furthermore, it can also arrange | position circularly in the position on the sheet | seat materials 22 and 23 corresponding to the peripheral part of a ventilation surface. Of course, these arrangements can be combined. In any case, it is possible to dispose the separating member on the sheet materials 22 and 23 so as to cover 20% or more, particularly 50% or more of the area of the ventilation surface, between the moisture permeable film 3a and the body surface. This is preferable because the space can be stably maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained by using the combination of the above steam generator and the holder.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the embodiments described so far, the separating member made of the fiber assembly is provided in the water vapor generator or its holder. However, in this embodiment, the separating member is the water vapor generator and its holder. Neither is provided. Instead, in this embodiment, a separate member separate from the water vapor generator and its holder is used. Specifically, it is as follows.

  The water vapor generator in the present embodiment is a water vapor generator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 that does not include a separating member. Such a steam generator is attached to the holder shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). The water vapor generator is attached to the holder such that the ventilation surface faces the wearer's body. The retainer is then secured to the wearer's body. At this time, an isolation member separate from the water vapor generator and its holder is interposed between the water vapor generator and the wearer's body. Specifically, the separating member is sandwiched between the first skin surface side sheet material and the second skin surface side sheet material positioned on the skin surface side of the housing portion in the holder and the wearer's body. Since the holder is fixed in close contact with the wearer's body, the isolation member can be sufficiently fixed by simply pinching it. The effect similar to each embodiment mentioned above is show | played also by how to use such a separating member.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the separating member 4 is disposed on the nonwoven fabric 3c, but the nonwoven fabric 3c is not used and the moisture permeable film is used as long as the strength of the moisture permeable film 3a is ensured. The isolation member 4 may be arranged directly on 3a.

  Moreover, in the holder shown to Fig.5 (a) and (b), although the separation member 4 was distribute | arranged on the skin opposing surface in the 1st skin surface side sheet material 22 and the 2nd skin surface side sheet material 23, this Instead of this, the separating member 4 may be disposed on the surface of the sheet material 22 or 23 facing the water vapor generator.

  Further, in the holder shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the accommodating portion 12 is configured using the separating member 4 instead of the first skin surface side sheet material 22 and the second skin surface side sheet material 23. May be.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to such examples.

[Example 1]
(1) Production of holder A holder having the structure shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B was produced. In the 1st arm part 13a, the hook member of the hook-and-loop fastener was used for the front-end | tip part of the skin surface. As the base 14, a knitted fabric that can be expanded and contracted in a two-way manner was used. On the other hand, in the 2nd arm part 13b, the loop member of the hook-and-loop fastener was used for the free end part of the outer surface. As the base, a knitted fabric that can be expanded and contracted in the same way as the first arm 13a was used. In the accommodating portion 2, a tricot knitted fabric was used as the outer surface side sheet material 21. Moreover, the mesh-shaped knitted fabric was used as the 1st skin surface side sheet material 22 and the 2nd skin surface side sheet material 23. FIG. These materials were combined and sewed to produce the intended holder.

Furthermore, the isolation member 4 made of a double raschel knitted fabric was stitched on the skin facing surface of the wearer in the first skin surface side sheet material 22 and the second skin surface side sheet material 23. The double raschel knitted fabric had a thickness of 2.0 mm measured using a constant pressure caliper, a thickness of 1.9 mm under a load of 2 kPa, and an apparent density of 0.09 g / cm ³ . The constituent fibers of the knitted fabric were polyester fibers having a thickness of 550 dtex and nylon fibers having a thickness of 1000 dtex. The separating member was disposed so as to cover the entire vent surface of the water vapor generating body.

(2) Preparation of steam generator Iron powder (manufactured by Dowa Iron Mining Co., Ltd., trade name “RKH”), activated carbon (manufactured by Nippon Enviro Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name “Carborafyn”) and pulp fiber (NBKP, Manufacturer: Fletcher Challenge Canada, trade name “Mackenzie”), using a slurry with a solid content of 0.3% by weight, using a slanted short net paper machine at a line speed of 15 m / min. A sheet was produced. The molded sheet was sandwiched with felt and dehydrated under pressure, and passed through a heating roll at 140 ° C. as it was to dry. The composition of the molded sheet was measured using a thermogravimetric apparatus (TG / DTA 6200, manufactured by Seiko Instruments Inc.), and as a result, iron powder was 75% by weight, activated carbon was 10% by weight, and pulp was 15%. The basis weight of the sheet was 180 g / m ² .

  The obtained molded sheet was cut into 80 mm × 100 mm, six sheets were stacked, and 60 parts by weight of 5% sodium chloride aqueous solution was injected with respect to 100 parts by weight of the molded sheet. As a result, a sheet-like heat generating portion was obtained.

Moisture-permeable film made of polyethylene containing calcium carbonate (moisture permeability of 800 to 1200 g / m ² · 24 hr, air permeability of 10,000 ± 2000 s / 100 cm ³ , thickness of 0.05 mm), linear moisture-resistant polyethylene film, A bag-shaped container shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 was produced using an air-through nonwoven fabric (thickness: 0.13 mm). In this, the said sheet-like heat generating part was enclosed and the water vapor | steam generator was obtained. The water vapor discharge area was 0.016 m ² . This water vapor generator is not provided with a separating member.

(3) Evaluation The obtained water vapor generating body was housed and held in a holder, and the holder was attached to the waist of the subject as shown in FIG. The skin temperature directly under the water vapor generator was measured. Skin temperature was measured using a thermometer (LT8A manufactured by Gram Corporation, a thermistor for skin). Further, the heat generation temperature of the water vapor generator itself was measured using a thermistor. The skin temperature and the exothermic temperature of the water vapor generator were measured from the start of wearing, and the time during which the temperature of 38 ° C. or higher was maintained was measured. The maximum temperature reached was also measured. As a result, regarding the skin temperature, the duration was 5.0 hours, the maximum temperature reached was 41.5 ° C., the average temperature during the duration was 40.5 ° C., and the dispersion was 0.73. Regarding the exothermic temperature of the water vapor generator, the duration was 5.5 hours, the maximum temperature reached was 50.0 ° C., the average temperature during the duration was 44.9 ° C., and the dispersion was 2.15.

[Example 2]
A steam generator and a holder are obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the separator is not attached to the holder, and instead the separator is attached to the surface of the moisture-permeable film side in the water vapor heating element housing. It was. As a result of performing the same evaluation as in Example 1 using these, results similar to those in Example 1 were obtained.

[Comparative Example 1]
A water vapor generator and a holder were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the separating member was not attached to the holder. Using these, the same evaluation as in Example 1 was performed. As a result, neither skin temperature nor water vapor generator temperature reached 38 ° C.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the water vapor generation body of this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the top view and sectional drawing which show the holder which hold | maintains and accommodates the water vapor generating body shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which fixed the holder shown in FIG. 3 to the wearer. It is the top view and sectional drawing which show one Embodiment of the water vapor generation body holder of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water vapor | steam generator 2 Heat generating part 3 Storage part 4 Isolation member

Claims (8)

A heating element is accommodated in a container having a ventilation surface and a surface that is opposite to the ventilation surface and is less air permeable or difficult to breathe than the ventilation surface, and is generated by an oxidation reaction of the heating element. A water vapor generator configured to generate water vapor from the ventilation surface using heat, and the ventilation surface has a water vapor transmission rate of 300 to 2000 g / measured at JIS Z0208, 40 ° C., 90% RH. A knitted fabric that is m ² · 24 hr and has an apparent density of 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ and a thickness of 0.1 to 10.0 mm is disposed outside the ventilation surface . Water vapor generator. Sterically organized the knitted fabric consists of warp knitting is knitted fabric according to claim 1 steam generator according. The water vapor generator according to claim 2, wherein the warp knitted fabric is a double raschel knitted fabric . A ventilation surface having a moisture permeability of 300 to 2000 g / m ² · 24 hr measured at JIS Z0208, 40 ° C. and 90% RH , and located on the opposite side and having a lower air permeability or less air permeability. A heat generating element is accommodated in a container having a surface that is permeable, and water vapor is generated from the vent surface by utilizing heat generated by an oxidation reaction of the heat generating element. A water vapor generator holder that is used by fixing the fixing portion to the wearer's body, the holding portion being provided with a fixing portion that extends from the receiving portion. A steam generator holder in which a three-dimensionally knitted fabric having an apparent density of 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ and a thickness of 0.1 to 10.0 mm is disposed outside the skin facing surface. The steam generator holder according to claim 4 , wherein the three-dimensional knitted fabric is a warp knitted fabric. The steam generator holder according to claim 5, wherein the warp knitted fabric is a double raschel knitted fabric . The steam generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the three-dimensionally knitted fabric has a thickness under a load of 2 kPa of 50% or more of the thickness. The steam generator holder according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the three-dimensionally knitted fabric has a thickness under a load of 2 kPa of 50% or more of the thickness.

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