Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D31/00—Materials specially adapted for outerwear
  • A41D31/04—Materials specially adapted for outerwear characterised by special function or use
  • A41D31/12—Hygroscopic; Water retaining
  • A41D31/125—Moisture handling or wicking function through layered materials
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/002—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches with controlled internal environment
  • A41D13/005—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches with controlled internal environment with controlled temperature
  • A41D13/0053—Cooled garments
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/002—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches with controlled internal environment
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D31/00—Materials specially adapted for outerwear
  • A41D31/04—Materials specially adapted for outerwear characterised by special function or use
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D31/00—Materials specially adapted for outerwear
  • A41D31/04—Materials specially adapted for outerwear characterised by special function or use
  • A41D31/12—Hygroscopic; Water retaining
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D31/00—Materials specially adapted for outerwear
  • A41D31/04—Materials specially adapted for outerwear characterised by special function or use
  • A41D31/14—Air permeable, i.e. capable of being penetrated by gases

Definitions

• This disclosure relates to a cooling garment that not only has excellent contact cold sensation and gives persistent contact cold sensation but also can reduce heatful feeling and is suitably wearable in a wide variety of situations such as offices and homes.
• JP 2011-68011 A proposes a composite fabric for a cool feeling material which can give a cold sensation by using a nanofiber nonwoven fabric composed of fibers having a diameter of 50 nm to less than 2.5 ⁇ m that are made of a polyurethane or an elastomer-based polymer, and in which the strength and the air permeability of the composite fibric can be maintained by laminating the composite fabric with a knitted fabric.
• Japanese Patent No. 6454437 proposes a pile woven or knitted fabric using a composite yarn composed of filaments having a high heat conduction coefficient and cellulose short fibers.
• garments into which external air is sent by fans attached to the respective garments are used against unpleasant feeling such as heatful feeling in the summer.
• JP 2018-168485 A proposes a garment in which an air flow can be forcibly generated between an outer fabric and a lining fabric by attaching the lining fabric and the body is cooled by sending external air taken in by a fan to a space between the outer fabric and the lining fabric.
• WO 2003/103424 proposes a garment that cools the body by allowing air to flow in a flow path formed by a spacer inside the garment.
• JP '485 it is possible to cool the body by providing a garment with an outer fabric and a lining fabric and forcibly generating an air flow in a space between the outer fabric and the lining fabric.
• a garment it is necessary to use fabrics in a double structure of the outer fabric and the lining fabric and, since the garment is inflated with external air taken into the garment through a fan and this causes the lining fabric to be kept in contact with the skin, there is a problem of losing cold sensation.
• the fan is stopped, there is a problem that a strong heatful feeling is experienced due to the double structure of the outer fabric and the lining fabric.
• the cooling garment is a garment including one or plural fans that take external air into a space between the garment and the body, and a fabric of the garment has a basis weight of 250 g/m 2 or less and a contact cold/warm sensation value Q-max of 0.30 W/cm 2 or larger.
• fibers constituting the fabric of the garment have a total fineness of 100 dtex or less.
• the fabric of the garment have a moisture absorption-desorption parameter AMR of not less than 3.0%.
• the fibers constituting the fabric of the garment contain a polyamide component at least partially.
• the fans each include blower vanes, a motor, and a battery, and that the fans have a total weight of 200 g or less.
• a cooling garment that not only has excellent contact cold sensation and gives persistent contact cold sensation but also can reduce heatful feeling is provided.
• the cooling garment can be suitably used in a wide variety of situations such as offices and homes.
• the cooling garment is configured to take external air into a space between the garment and the body, and it is important that the cooling garment be equipped with one or plural fans that take external air into the space between the garment and the body.
• an air flow is forcibly generated between the garment and the body to cause the garment to flutter, and this allows the body and the garment to come into contact at a preferred frequency.
• heat conduction from the body to the garment can be inhibited so that a contact cold sensation can be felt repeatedly when the garment comes into contact with the body by fluttering or the like.
• air circulation is generated inside the garment to allow ventilation so that heatful feeling can be reduced.
• the number of the fans included in the garment is not particularly limited. However, it is preferably five or less from the standpoints of reducing the total weight of the fans and providing wearing comfort.
• the fabric used in the cooling garment is required to have a basis weight of 250 g/m 2 or less.
• the basis weight of the fabric is preferably 230 g/m 2 or less, more preferably 200 g/m 2 or less.
• a lower limit of the basis weight is not particularly limited. However, the basis weight is preferably not less than 50 g/m 2 for improving the ease of handling, the wearability, and the durability of the fabric.
• the fabric used in the cooling garment is required to have a contact cold/warm sensation value Q-max that can be determined by the method described below in the section of Examples, of 0.30 W/cm 2 or larger.
• the contact cold/warm sensation value Q-max is a maximum heat absorption rate at the time of instantaneous heat transfer from the fabric, and a person is likely to feel a cold sensation upon coming into contact with a fabric having a large Q-max value, or a warm sensation upon coming into contact with a fabric having a small Q-max value.
• the Q-max value is preferably 0.35 W/cm 2 or larger, more preferably 0.40 W/cm 2 or larger.
• the fabric used in the cooling garment preferably has a moisture absorption-desorption parameter AMR of not less than 3.0%.
• the AMR is a difference in the moisture absorption rate of the fabric between a high-temperature and high-humidity condition, which is typified by 30° C. and 90% RH, and a standard temperature and humidity condition, which is typified by 20° C. and 65% RH.
• the AMR indicates the humidity control capacity of the fabric that absorbs and/or desorbs water when a change occurs in the temperature and the humidity. The larger the AMR, the more reduced are the stuffy feeling and the sticky feeling at the time of sweating and the further improved is the wearing comfort of the garment.
• the fabric has a high humidity control capacity so that an appropriate level of comfort can be obtained.
• the AMR is more preferably in a range of 3.5% or larger, still more preferably in a range of 4.0% or larger.
• a level that can be achieved by an ordinary technology is about 17%, and this is substantially the upper limit.
• the fabric used in the cooling garment preferably has an air permeability of 10 cc/cm 2 /sec or higher.
• the air permeability is more preferably 50 cc/cm 2 /sec or higher, still more preferably 100 cc/cm 2 /sec or higher, particularly preferably 150 cc/cm 2 /sec or higher.
• An upper limit of the air permeability is not particularly limited. However, to obtain good mechanical properties of the fabric, improve the processability and the ease of handling in the production of the fabric and the garment, prevent the fabric from being excessively thin, and obtain a garment having excellent durability without any discomfort during wearing, the air permeability is preferably 250 cc/cm 2 /sec or lower from a practical standpoint.
• a fiber material used in the fabric of the cooling garment may be any of synthetic fibers, semi-synthetic fibers, natural fibers and the like, and examples of the fiber material include, but not limited to: polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, polyacrylic fibers, rayon fibers, acetate fibers, polyolefin fibers, polyurethane fibers, cotton, hemp, silk, and wool.
• the fabric may be formed of a single kind of fiber material, or a composite yarn obtained by combining plural fibers. Particularly, it is preferred that polyamide fibers be partially used in the fabric since polyamide fibers have excellent mechanical properties and durability as well as excellent moisture absorption-desorption performance.
• the fibers used in the fabric of the cooling garment may take any form of long fibers (filaments), short fibers (staples) and the like.
• the fibers may each be a monofilament composed of a single fiber, or a multifilament composed of plural single fibers.
• the cut length and the number of crimps are not limited. These fibers may be subjected to a post-processing such as false-twisting or twisting.
• the fibers used in the fabric of the cooling garment are not particularly limited in terms of total fineness when they are in the form of filaments, and the total fineness may be selected as appropriate in accordance with the intended use and the required properties. However, it is preferably 100 dtex or less. With the total fineness being in this range, the flexibility of the garment is not impaired and external air taken in through the fans causes the garment to flutter moderately so that the body and the garment can be brought into contact at a preferred frequency.
• the total fineness is more preferably 90 dtex or less, still more preferably 80 dtex or less.
• a lower limit of the total fineness is also not particularly limited. However, a level that can be achieved by a known technology is about 4 dtex, and this is substantially the lower limit.
• the fibers used in the fabric of the cooling garment are not particularly limited in terms of single fiber fineness, and the single fiber fineness may be selected as appropriate in accordance with the intended use and the required properties. However, it is preferably 5.0 dtex or less.
• the “single fiber fineness” means a value obtained by dividing the total fineness of the fibers used in the fabric by the number of single fibers constituting the fibers. With the single fiber fineness being in this range, the flexibility of the garment is not impaired and external air taken in through the fans causes the garment to flutter moderately so that the body and the garment can be brought into contact at a preferred frequency.
• the single fiber fineness is more preferably 2.5 dtex or less, still more preferably 1.5 dtex or less.
• a lower limit of the single fiber fineness is preferably 0.3 dtex or higher since this not only leads to good processability and ease of handling in the production of the fibers, the fabric and the garment, but also allows the cooling garment to have excellent durability with limited fluff generation during use.
• the fibers used in the fabric of the cooling garment preferably has a strength of 1.5 cN/dtex or higher.
• the fibers can be used at a strength of 1.5 cN/dtex or lower without any problem by taking measures such as using the fibers in combination with other fibers in the production of the fabric.
• the elongation of the fibers may be set as appropriate in accordance with the intended use. However, it is preferably 25% to 60% from the standpoint of the workability in the processing of the fibers into the fabric.
• cross-sectional shape of the fibers used in the fabric of the cooling garment a wide variety of cross-sectional shapes such as a circular shape, a flat shape, a Y shape, a T shape, a hollow shape, a cross-in-square shape and hash mark shape, can be adopted.
• the fabric may be a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a pile fabric, a nonwoven fabric or the like, and may have any woven or knitted structure that can be preferably obtained by, for example, plain weaving, twill weaving, sateen weaving, double weaving, or modification of any of these weaving techniques, or warp knitting, weft knitting, circular knitting, lace stitching, or modification of any of these knitting techniques.
• the form of the cooling garment is not particularly limited, and may be either an upper wear or a bottom wear.
• the upper wear may be of a long sleeve or a short sleeve, and the bottom wear may be of a long hem or a short hem.
• An “upper wear” means a garment to be worn on the upper half of the body, and a “bottom wear” means a garment to be worn on the lower half of the body.
• Specific examples of the upper wear include, but not limited to: underwear such as inner shirts, tank tops, and camisoles; general clothes such as T-shirts, polo shirts, tops, pajamas, blouses, blousons, and workwear; and sports clothes such as sports inner shirts and sports shirts.
• Specific examples of the bottom wear include, but not limited to: underwear such as inner pants; general clothes such as slacks, pants, skirts, pajamas, and workwear; and sports clothes such as sports pants.
• the fans used in the cooling garment each include blower vanes, a motor, and a battery, and preferably have a total weight of 200 g or less.
• the total weight of the fans is more preferably 150 g or less, still more preferably 100 g or less.
• the blower vanes constituting the fans preferably have an outer diameter of 10 to 60 mm.
• the outer diameter of the blower vanes is more preferably 15 to 50 mm, still more preferably 20 to 40 mm.
• the total flow rate of external air taken in through all of the fans included in the garment is preferably 5 L/sec or lower.
• the total flow rate is more preferably 3 L/sec or lower, still more preferably 1 L/sec or lower.
• the fans used in the cooling garment are preferably centrifugal fans or crossflow fans. Since a centrifugal fan and a crossflow fan are both capable of blowing air in the direction substantially perpendicular to their rotation axes, the use of a centrifugal fan or a crossflow fan makes it easier to blow external air with an orientation in the direction substantially parallel to the body. By blowing air in the direction substantially parallel to the body, the garment is made less likely to be inflated as compared to blowing air in the direction substantially perpendicular to the body. Therefore, moderate fluttering of the garment is generated so that the body and the garment can be brought into contact at a preferred frequency.
• the motor of each fan used in the cooling garment is preferably a DC motor.
• each fan can be operated in a stable manner even at a low voltage.
• the battery that supplies electric power to the motor of each fan used in the cooling garment is not limited, and examples of the battery include a lead storage battery, an alkaline storage battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, and a lithium ion battery. It is particularly preferred to use a lithium ion battery since it allows a size reduction and an increase in the capacity.
• the total fineness of fibers constituting a fabric sample was determined in accordance with the method prescribed in JIS L1096:2010 “Testing methods for woven and knitted fabrics.”
• the basis weight (g/m 2 ) of a fabric was determined by measuring the weight of the fabric cut into a 10-cm square and dividing the measured value by the area of the fabric (100 cm 2 ).
• a measurement fabric and an apparatus (KES-F7 THERMO LABO II TYPE, manufactured by KATO TECH CO., LTD.) were left to stand for at least 12 hours in a room adjusted to have a temperature of 20° C. and a relative humidity of 60%.
• the heat-storing hot plate BT was set at 30° C. while the hot plate G-BT guarding the periphery of the hot plate BT for heating the hot plate BT was set at 20.3° C., and these hot plates were stabilized.
• the measurement fabric was placed with its back side (skin side when worn) facing up, and the T-BOX was quickly placed on the measurement fabric to measure the Q-max.
• the basis weight of the measurement fabric the value determined by the method described in the section B above was used.
• the air permeability was determined in accordance with JIS L1096(2010) 8.26.1 Air Permeability—Method A (Frazier method).
• the evaluation criteria for the contact cold sensation of fabric at the moment of wearing each cooling garment were set as follows: a score of 5 when “strongly felt a cold sensation;” a score of 4 when “felt a cold sensation;” a score of 3 when “slightly felt a cold sensation;” a score of 2 when “hardly felt a cold sensation;” or a score of 1 when “felt no cold sensation at all,” and an average value of evaluation scores given by the 20 subjects was calculated.
• the subjects were asked to make the same evaluation on the contact cold sensation of fabric for a total of six times at 10-minute intervals over a period of one hour, and average values of the scores given by the 20 subjects at the respective time intervals were calculated.
• the contact cold sensation of fabric was judged as “satisfactory” when the average score was 3.0 or higher at all of the occasions, or as “excellent” when the average score was 4.0 or higher at all of the occasions.
• Each cooling garment produced in Examples was worn by 20 subjects. Subsequently, the subjects sat at rest on chairs for one hour in a room that had a temperature of 30° C. and a relative humidity of 60% to simulate an un-air-conditioned indoor environment in the summer.
• the evaluation criteria for the heatful feeling inside the garment thereafter were set as follows: a score of 5 when “experienced no heatful feeling at all;” a score of 4 when “experienced hardly any heatful feeling;” a score of 3 when “experienced a slight heatful feeling;” a score of 2 when “experienced a heatful feeling;” or a score of 1 when “experienced a strong heatful feeling,” and an average value of evaluation scores given by the 20 subjects was calculated. An average value of 3.0 or higher was judged as “satisfactory,” and an average value of 4.0 or higher was judged as “excellent.”
• Each cooling garment produced in Examples was worn by 20 subjects.
• the evaluation criteria for the wearing feeling were set as follows: a score of 5 when “experienced absolutely no massive feeling, discomfort caused by wearing the garment, or unpleasant feeling due to fan noise;” a score of 4 when “experience substantially no massive feeling, discomfort caused by wearing the garment, or unpleasant feeling due to fan noise;” a score of 3 when “slightly experienced any one of massive feeling, discomfort caused by wearing the garment, and unpleasant feeling due to fan noise;” a score of 2 when “experienced any one of massive feeling, discomfort caused by wearing the garment, and unpleasant feeling due to fan noise;” or a score of 1 when “strongly experienced any one of massive feeling, discomfort caused by wearing the garment, and unpleasant feeling due to fan noise,” and an average value of evaluation scores given by the 20 subjects was calculated. An average value of 3.0 or higher was judged as “satisfactory,” and an average value of 4.0 or higher was judged as “excellent.”
• each cooling garment produced in Examples was put on a mannequin, and a fan was rotated to generate an air flow of 1 m 3 /min. Subsequently, the A-weighting sound pressure level was measured using a noise meter (SoundTest-Master, manufactured by UMAREX Gmbh & Co. KG) arranged at a position 50 cm away from a fan attachment opening of the garment in the fan rotation axis, and an average value over a period of 5 seconds was determined.
• a noise meter SoundTest-Master, manufactured by UMAREX Gmbh & Co. KG
• a knitted fabric having a moss stitch structure was prepared by a known method using a false twisted yarn composed of 56 dtex-36 filament polyamide long fibers made of poly-caprolactam having a polyvinylpyrrolidone addition rate of 5.0% by weight, and the thus obtained knitted fabric was sewn to produce a garment in the form of a polo shirt.
• the knitted fabric had a Q-max value of 0.35 W/cm 2 , a basis weight of 185 g/m 2 , a AMR value of 4.0%, and an air permeability of 154 cc/cm 2 /sec.
• a cooling garment was produced and a wearing test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the knitted fabric had a Q-max value of 0.37 W/cm 2 and a basis weight of 235 g/m 2 .
• the thus obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
• a cooling garment was produced and a wearing test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a false twisted yarn composed of 56 dtex-36 filament polyamide long fibers made of additive-free polycaprolactam was used to produce a fabric having a Q-max value of 0.30 W/cm 2 and a AMR value of 3.0%.
• the thus obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
• a cooling garment was produced and a wearing test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1, except that centrifugal fans each having a total weight of 172 g including a motor and a battery and an outer diameter of 50 mm were used. The thus obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
• Example 1 A cooling garment was produced and a wearing test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the total flow rate of external air taken in through the fans was 3.5 L/sec. The thus obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
• a cooling garment was produced and a wearing test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 2, except that a false twisted yarn composed of 84 dtex-36 filament polyamide long fibers made of polycaprolactam having a polyvinylpyrrolidone addition rate of 5.0% by weight was used and the resulting knitted fabric had an air permeability of 70 cc/cm 2 /sec.
• the thus obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
• a garment in the form of a polo shirt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, and a single opening was formed at a position 30 cm above a garment lower end on the back side of the polo shirt, and a storage section in the form of a pocket composed of the knitted fabric constituting the polo shirt was arranged on the inner side of the garment.
• a centrifugal fan having a total weight of 98 g including a motor and a battery and an outer diameter of 30 mm was stored in the pocket to produce a cooling garment which takes in external air through the fan at a total flow rate of 0.7 L/sec and blows the air upward in the direction substantially parallel to the body, and a wearing test was conducted. The thus obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
• Example 1 A wearing test was conducted without attaching any centrifugal fan to the polo shirt produced in Example 1. As seen from the thus obtained evaluation results shown in Table 1, the garment did not flutter due to the absence of air flow from a fan, and the persistence of contact cold sensation was poor.
• a cooling garment was produced and a wearing test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a false twisted yarn composed of 56 dtex-144 filament polyamide long fibers made of polycaprolactam having a polyvinylpyrrolidone addition rate of 5.0% by weight was used and the resulting knitted fabric had a basis weight of 255 g/m 2 .
• the garment did not flutter due to the high basis weight of the fabric, and the persistence of contact cold sensation was poor as a result.
• An air-impermeable but moisture-permeable film was attached to the lining fabric of the cooling garment produced in Example 1 to obtain a cooling garment having a basis weight of 300 g/m 2 and an air permeability of 8 cc/cm 2 /sec, and a wearing test was conducted.
• the garment did not flutter due to the high basis weight and the low air permeability of the fabric, and the persistence of contact cold sensation was poor, as a result of which the subjects experienced a heatful feeling and had a discomfort in terms of wearing feeling.
• a knitted fabric having a moss stitch structure was prepared by a known method using a false twisted yarn composed of 84 dtex-36 filament polyester long fibers made of additive-free polyethylene terephthalate, and the thus obtained knitted fabric was sewn to produce a garment in the form of a polo shirt.
• This garment had a Q-max value of 0.23 W/cm 2 , a basis weight of 185 g/m 2 , a AMR value of 0.0%, and an air permeability of 154 cc/cm 2 /sec.
• Example 1 Example 2
• Example 3 Example 4
• Example 5 Example 6 Fan Total Weight of Fan& Battery 98 98 172 98 98 Numbers of Fan 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 outside Diameter of Fan (mm) 30 30 30 30 30 30 Total Flow Rate of External Air 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 3.5 0.7 taken in through Fan (L/sec) Air Blow Direction by substantially substantially substantially substantially substantially substantially Fan against Body Parallel* Parallel* Parallel* Parallel* Parallel* Parallel* Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Upward Fabric Q-max ((W/cm 2 ) 0.35 0.37 0.30 0.35 0.35 0.37
• Properties Basis Weight g/m 2 ) 185 235 185 185 185 235 ⁇ MR (%)
• Air Permeability cc/cm 2 /sec) 154 154 154 154 154 154 70 Fiber Polymer Type Polyamide + Polyamide + Polyamide Polyamide + Polyamide
• the cooling garment not only has excellent contact cold sensation and gives persistent contact cold sensation but also can reduce heatful feeling and is suitably wearable in a wide variety of situations such as offices and homes.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
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• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)

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• 2020
  • 2020-07-03 JP JP2020542925A patent/JPWO2021014936A1/ja active Pending
  • 2020-07-03 CN CN202080040838.7A patent/CN113993406A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-07-03 EP EP20843384.7A patent/EP4005425B1/en active Active
  • 2020-07-03 WO PCT/JP2020/026177 patent/WO2021014936A1/ja active IP Right Grant
  • 2020-07-03 US US17/627,321 patent/US20220273053A1/en not_active Abandoned
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