JP6136531B2 - Cloth heater - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cloth heater. More specifically, for example, the present invention relates to a fabric heater that can be directly applied to a fabric product or the like that requires air permeability and that is excellent in quick warming.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a cloth heater in which a conductor that generates heat when energized is incorporated on the back surface of the cloth. This product has a structure suitable for integrally molding a urethane pad. In this structure, the heating element is disposed on the back surface of the skin material by welding with an adhesive cloth.

JP 2012-35671 A

  In the cloth-like heater described in Patent Document 1, the outer skin material and the adhesive cloth that do not have a heat generating function become a heat insulating layer that blocks heat from the heating means. Therefore, in order to obtain a desired temperature on the surface side of the skin material, it is necessary to heat in consideration of heat insulating components. That is, the energy efficiency as a heater is impaired, and it is difficult to ensure sufficient rapid warming properties.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional techniques as described above. And the objective of this invention is providing the cloth-like heater which has the function as a skin material, and is excellent in energy efficiency and quick warming property.

A cloth heater according to an aspect of the present invention includes a cloth having a core-sheath type conductive fiber including a conductive core and a non-conductive sheath covering the core, and voltage application for applying a voltage to the core. Means. Further, the tension applied to the warp or weft perpendicular to the exposed portion of the fabric is higher than the tension applied to the warp or weft perpendicular to the sheath continuous in the axial direction of the exposed portion.

  According to the cloth heater of the present invention, a voltage is applied to the cloth having the core-sheath type conductive fiber so that the cloth itself generates heat. Therefore, the fabric itself can be used directly as a heater, and the heat conduction resistance can be minimized. As a result, it is possible to exhibit excellent energy efficiency and quick warming as a heater.

It is the schematic of the cloth-like heater which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Fig.2 (a) is a perspective view which shows the cross section of the core-sheath-type conductive fiber used for the fabric shown in FIG. FIG. 2B is an enlarged perspective view showing an exposed portion and a non-exposed portion in the core-sheath type conductive fiber used in the fabric shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the manufacturing process of the core-sheath-type conductive fiber shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the vehicle seat to which the cloth-like heater shown in FIG. 1 is applied. It is a schematic diagram which shows the seat heater of a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, a cloth heater according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the dimensional ratios of the drawings cited in the following embodiments are exaggerated and may be different from the actual ratios.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fabric heater 1 of this embodiment includes a fabric 2, a voltage application unit 3, and a connection unit 4. The fabric 2 and the voltage applying means 3 can be electrically connected through the connecting means 4 and the exposed portion 5. By being energized in this way, the fabric 2 itself generates heat. The cloth-like heater 1 of this embodiment can exhibit the characteristics as a fiber material and the function as a heater from such a configuration.

  The fabric 2 constituting the fabric heater 1 of this embodiment has a core-sheath type conductive fiber 10 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “conductive fiber 10”). Since the conductive fiber 10 exhibits properties as a fiber such as flexibility, the properties as the fiber material of the cloth heater 1 are ensured as described above. Specifically, by using the conductive fiber 10, it is possible to form the fabric 2 having a conduction function or a heat generation function without impairing flexibility and softness. In addition, it is possible to provide a function that also serves as a circuit formation in a narrow and narrow space and a circuit formation in a very thin space that cannot normally be used with a metal conductor having a thickness of several millimeters.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the conductive fiber 10 has a columnar shape, and includes a conductive core portion 11 and a sheath portion 12 that covers the longitudinal side surface of the core portion 11 and has non-conductivity. . In this embodiment, in order for the conductive fiber 10 to function as a conducting wire, at least the core 11 needs to be continuously present from one end to the other end inside the conductive fiber. And in order to ensure the insulation with the exterior, the core part 11 is coat | covered by the sheath part 12 which has nonelectroconductivity. However, the core part 11 may be exposed in a part of the conductive fiber 10 as long as appropriate insulation is secured when applied to a skin material or the like as a cloth heater.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the core portion 11 can be exposed and the exposed portion 5 can be formed by peeling the sheath portion 12 in a part of the conductive fiber 10. The method for forming the exposed portion 5 is not limited to physical peeling. For example, the sheath 12 can be eluted with a chemical. The core-sheath structure is preferable from the viewpoint that the sheath 12 can be easily peeled off from the core 11 and the exposed portion 5 can be easily formed. Further, as shown in the example of FIG. 1, it is preferable that at least a pair of the exposed portions 5 are formed, these are in electrical contact with the connecting means 4, and further energized by the voltage applying means 3. In this case, the resistance when electrically connecting the exposed portion 5 and the connecting means 4 can be reduced. On the other hand, in the sheath part (non-exposed part 6) continuous in the axial direction of the exposed part 5, the core part 11 is not exposed, so that insulation is ensured. Therefore, the cloth heater 1 of this embodiment can be directly applied as a cloth product such as a skin material.

  In the example of FIG. 1, both ends of the conductive fiber 10 are peeled to form a pair of exposed portions 5, which are connected by connecting means and connected to the voltage applying means, but are not limited to this configuration. That is, if necessary, not only at both ends of the fiber, but also in the middle, a peeling portion can be provided and a connecting means can be installed. By forming the exposed portion at an arbitrary position, the temperature distribution of the fabric 2 can be controlled. Further, a circuit other than the heater can be formed at an arbitrary position in the fabric 2.

  In the present embodiment, the voltage applying means 3 is not particularly limited as long as it can apply a voltage to the exposed portion 5. Specifically, various known voltage applying means such as a commonly used DC stabilized power supply and a commercially available dry battery can be employed. In addition, when heating any part to have a temperature distribution, a commonly used switching element, relay, or the like can be used alone or in combination for control. These are electrically connected to the cloth heater 1.

  Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the conductive fiber 10 is used as the weft of the fabric 2 and the warp yarn is made of a polymer fiber having no conductivity, such as polyester, it is not limited to this example. That is, one or more conductive fibers may be used in at least one of the warp and the weft.

  The configuration of the fabric 2 is not limited to an embodiment in which the conductive fibers 10 are used one by one. That is, the conductive fiber 10 can be made into a bundle (bundle shape) of several tens to several thousand pieces for use in 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, the fabric 2 can be formed using these fibers and / or bundle-like fibers.

  Specific examples of the woven or knitted fabric when forming the fabric 2 include woven fabrics such as plain weave, satin weave, twill weave, honeycomb weave, 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 horizontal direction or the vertical direction is particularly preferable. Particularly preferred is plain weave. By setting it as such an aspect, it can be set as a suitable structure | tissue when connecting a heat generating body and a voltage application means as a cloth-like heater.

  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 diameters and widths 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 or knitted fabric. That is, the diameter of the conductive fiber 10 in this 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 fibers 10 having such a size are preferable from the viewpoints of weaving / knitting ease, softness of the woven fabric after weaving / knitting after knitting, and ease of handling as a fabric.

  The shape of the conductive fiber 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and various modes can be adopted as long as insulation is ensured as described above. For example, a sea-island (multi-core) type can be adopted as the cross-sectional shape of the conductive fiber 10, and this is also included in the “core-sheath type” in this specification. Moreover, as long as the conductivity as the whole core part 11 and the insulation as the whole conductive fiber 10 can be ensured, a modified cross-sectional shape with a non-circular cross section, a hollow structure, or the like can also be taken. These can be used as a means for functionalizing the fiber, for example, when the fiber itself is naturally shaped to change the texture, or when the fiber surface area is increased to reduce weight and heat insulation. As described above, the “columnar shape” in the present specification is not limited to the columnar shape, and includes a columnar shape even when the cross section is a star shape, a triangle shape, a square shape, a Y shape, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the total area of the cross sections orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the core 11 is set to be 0.8 to 250,000 μm ² . That is, in the case of the simple core-sheath structure shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional area of one core part 11 is within the above range, and in the case of a sea-island type (not shown), the cross-sectional areas of a plurality of core parts 11 Is within the above range. By setting the total cross-sectional area of the core part 11 to 0.8 μm ² or more, the sheath part can be easily peeled off and made conductive. On the contrary, if the total cross-sectional area of the core is less than 0.8 μm ² , the core is too thin, and sufficient strength and heat generation efficiency cannot be ensured. Moreover, the surface area of the core part 11 can be sufficiently ensured by setting the total cross-sectional area of the core part 11 to 250,000 μm ² or less. As a result, the contact area between the exposed core portion and the electrode increases, so that it is possible to prevent the pseudo resistance value in the exposed portion 5 or the connection means 4 from increasing. The total area can be calculated based on information obtained by observation with an electron microscope or the like.

In addition, it is more preferable that the total cross-sectional area of the core is 50 to 150,000 μm ² . Within this range, the heat generation efficiency can be further improved while further increasing the strength of the conductive fiber.

  In the present embodiment, in consideration of the balance between the strength of the conductive fiber 10 and the heat generation performance, the area ratio of the core portion 11 and the sheath portion 12 in the cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the conductive fiber 10 is 1: 1 to 5: 1. Preferably there is. The cross-sectional area ratio between the core part and the sheath part referred to here is the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the core part to the cross-sectional area of the sheath part regardless of the number of core parts.

  When the cross-sectional area ratio between the core part 11 and the sheath part 12 in the conductive fiber 10 is 1: 1, the sheath part can be peeled stably because the cross-sectional area of the sheath part can be suppressed from becoming excessively large. At the same time, sufficient strength can be secured. Furthermore, the effect | action as a heat insulation layer of a sheath part can be suppressed. Moreover, when the cross-sectional area ratio of the core part 11 and the sheath part 12 is 5: 1, sufficient insulation resistance can be ensured even if the sheath part becomes thin. Furthermore, the sheath portion precursor solution can be easily applied to the core portion in the conductive fiber spinning step described later.

  In forming the core portion 11, various conductive components can be used. The material selected at that time can be composed of a single material or a plurality of materials. Specific examples of the conductive material include carbon-based materials such as carbon black, carbon nanotubes, ketjen black, and graphite, and metal particles having conductivity such as gold, silver, copper, tin, nickel, and aluminum. . In addition, fine powders of semiconductors such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, ITO, and ATO, and ceramic fine powders such as titanium oxide coated with a semiconductor such as metal, ITO, and ATO can be used. Furthermore, conductive polymers such as acetylene, hetero five-membered ring, phenylene, and aniline can be used.

  The above-mentioned conductive component can be kneaded into a synthetic fiber and spun to be used as the conductive fiber as the core. In this case, it is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting flexibility and softness to the conductive fiber 10. From the same point of view, it is also preferable that the fiber is composed of only the above-described conductive polymer to form a core.

  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.

Examples of other conductive components include carbon-based powders such as carbon black and ketjen black, carbon-based fibers, and metal fine particles such as iron and aluminum. In addition, oxide semiconductor fine particles such as tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) and zinc oxide (ZnO) can be given. A material constituted by using these materials alone, a material coated on the surface of another material by vapor deposition or application, a material used as a core material and a material coated on the outer surface, 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) ( A conductive polymer containing at least one of PEDTOT / PSS), polyaniline, and polyparaphenylene vinylene (PPV) is preferable. Among these materials, PEDOT / PSS (manufactured by HC Starck Co., Ltd .: Clevios (registered trademark) P), PPV, polypyrrole, and the like can be given 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 particularly preferable to use the core 11 having conductive polymer fibers. Here, the conductive polymer fiber refers to a material obtained by removing metal fibers from 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 the sheath 12 and air around the metal fiber cannot be ignored. Therefore, from the viewpoint of ensuring the performance as a heater and ensuring the strength, it is preferable to use conductive polymer fibers excluding metal fibers as described above. Even if the diameter of the metal fiber is increased, the softness of the metal fiber becomes a neck, and when only the metal fiber is applied as the conductive fiber 10, 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, and after all, a heat-insulating layer that cannot be ignored is formed, resulting in a decrease in heat generation efficiency.

  In addition, what disperse | distributed the above-mentioned electrically-conductive component to the general polymer fiber, what apply | coated, or made into fiber itself, and the thing except a metal fiber are called electroconductive polymer fiber.

  In the present embodiment, it is more preferable that the core portion 11 has 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 10 as a conductor portion can be further improved. In the above, it is particularly preferable to use carbon fiber among carbon.

  Although the compounding quantity of said electrically conductive component in an above described polymer fiber is not specifically limited, It is desirable that it is 0.5-30 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.

  In addition, general-purpose resin, such as polyamides, such as nylon 6 and nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, the polyethylene terephthalate containing a copolymerization component, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, can be used individually or in mixture for the above-mentioned matrix resin. 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 core portion 11 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 10 functions as a resistor. Therefore, by setting the electrical resistivity of the core 11 to 10 ⁻³ Ω · cm or more, excessive heat generation of the conductive fiber 10 or heat generation of the conductive wire other than the conductive fiber 10 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 core part 11 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 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 this embodiment, the sheath 12 that covers the core 11 is manufactured by applying the sheath component to the core 11 as a continuous process after the core 11 is manufactured. As the sheath component, various insulating materials can be used to impart insulation to the sheath portion 12. 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 is used. These general resin materials include polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate containing copolymer components, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate. In view of cost and practicality, it is preferable to use polyvinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride alone or in combination.

  In this embodiment, it is preferable that the sheath portion 12 includes an amorphous resin. As the amorphous resin, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol having an appropriately adjusted saponification degree, copolymers thereof, and the like 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 11.

  In this embodiment, the method for manufacturing the conductive fiber 10 is not particularly limited. For example, it can manufacture by providing the material which comprises the sheath part 12 around the fiber used as the core part 11 obtained by methods, such as wet spinning and electric field polymerization. Here, it is not limited to the case where the core portion 11 is single, but can be manufactured in the same manner even in the case of a multicore (sea island) structure. Specific production examples are shown below.

  First, a mixed solution for forming the core is prepared. When using a conductive polymer fiber as the core 11, a mixed solution in which the conductive polymer is dissolved in water or an organic solvent is used. A dopant is added to the mixed solution as necessary. In the case where a polymer fiber in which a conductor is dispersed in a matrix resin is used as the core 11, a mixed solution in which the matrix resin material and the conductor are dispersed in water or an organic solvent is used.

  FIG. 3A shows an example of a wet spinning device for forming the core 11. In the wet spinning apparatus 30a, the mixed solution is extruded from the wet spinning die 31, and the extruded core precursor 32 is passed through a solidification bath 33 containing a solvent such as acetone. After passing through the solidification bath 33, the precursor 32 passes through the fiber feeder 34a, is dried by the drying device 36, and is wound up by the fiber winder 35a. In this way, the core part 11 can be created.

  Next, the process of forming the sheath part 12 around the core part 11 obtained as described above will be described. First, the resin material which comprises the sheath part 12 is melt | dissolved in water or an organic solvent, and the mixed solution for sheath parts is prepared. Although the density | concentration in the mixed solution for sheath parts changes with a composition, a polymerization degree, and a solvent, it is preferable that it is the range of 10-50 wt%. The liquid temperature at the time of application of the mixed solution is within a range where the mixed solution is not decomposed, and is preferably a temperature at which the mixed solution can be applied to the core portion 11, and specifically about 0 to 80 ° C. Moreover, as long as the effect of the present invention is not impaired, the mixed solution includes a flame retardant, an antioxidant, an antifreezing agent, a pH adjusting agent, a concealing agent, a colorant, in addition to the above raw materials, depending on the purpose. Additives such as oil agents and special functional agents may be included. Furthermore, these may be used individually by 1 type and may be used in combination of 2 or more types.

  Next, the sheath portion mixed solution is applied around the core portion 11. The application method of the mixed solution is not particularly limited as long as it can be applied substantially uniformly around the core. For example, it is possible to apply the sheath mixed solution using an application device 30b as shown in FIG.

  First, in the coating tank 37, the temperature of the above-mentioned mixed solution for sheath portion is warmed to a temperature at which it can be applied. Then, the core portion 11 is passed through the central portion of the coating tank 37. The core part 11 sent out from the fiber feeder 34b is covered with the sheath part 12 by passing through the coating tank 37, and is wound up by the fiber winder 35b. A core-sheath type conductive fiber can be obtained by such a simple method. In addition, a drying process can also be provided between the coating tank 37 and the fiber winder 35b.

  In the steps shown above, for example, the amount of resin remaining on the surface can be adjusted by adjusting the time and temperature of the drying step. Therefore, different cross-sectional shapes can be obtained under various drying conditions. As another method, when a core-sheath-type discharge cap is used, the core-sheath fiber can be produced by a single spinning process.

  Thus, since the core-sheath-type conductive fiber of this embodiment does not require a special process and is obtained by a normal fiber manufacturing process, it can be manufactured at low cost.

  In the cloth heater 1 of this embodiment, the connecting means 4 is preferably a conductive body having a higher conductivity than the core portion 11. That is, even when a large current is supplied to increase the amount of heat generated by the cloth heater 1, a heat conductor with a low electrical resistivity is used as the connection means 4 to connect the exposed portions 5 to each other to reduce heat generation other than the heat generating portion. Or it can be prevented. Furthermore, by connecting with a conductive body having high conductivity, it is possible to achieve both the conduction of the peeled portion and the securing of strength. The conductivity can be calculated and measured as the reciprocal of the value obtained by the resistivity measurement method described later. In addition, it can also measure by the alternating current two-electrode method.

  The shape of the conductor is not particularly limited as long as it is electrically connected to and fixed to one or more exposed portions 5. For example, it is possible to employ the connection means 4 that is a conductive body that is crimped to the core portion 11 and has a higher conductivity than the core portion 11. In this case, since the exposed portion 5 and the connection means 4 are physically bonded without interposing other components, it is preferable from the viewpoint of reducing the electrical resistance between them.

  Moreover, the connection means 4 which is sewn on the core part 11 and is a fiber having higher conductivity than the core part 11 can also be employed. It is preferable to use a fiber-shaped conductive body as the connection means 4 in this embodiment because sufficient air permeability can be secured in the fabric 2. But it is not the meaning limited to a fiber shape only from the objective of ensuring air permeability. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, if the exposed portion 5 and the connecting means 4 are provided at both ends of the conductive fiber 10, sufficient air permeability can be secured in most of the area occupied by the fabric 2. In addition, when using a fibrous thing as a conductor, this can also be sewn on the exposed part 5. FIG. If it does in this way, the discomfort by the difference in partial hardness can be eliminated as a cloth-like heater. From the same viewpoint, a metal wire or conductive fiber having substantially the same cross-sectional area as the fiber forming the cloth heater can be used as the fibrous conductor. More specifically, for example, a stranded wire formed by twisting a metal such as nickel can be used.

  Moreover, the connection means 4 which is a pair of conductors that sandwich the core part 11 and has a higher conductivity than the core part 11 can be employed. For example, by sandwiching the exposed portion 5 using a metal plate such as a copper plate or an aluminum plate, the connection between the exposed portion 5 and the conductor is ensured, and an effect of preventing unnecessary heat generation can be obtained. It does not specifically limit as an aspect at the time of pinching. For example, a pair of conductors can be fixed at an arbitrary position using a commercially available stapler.

  Further, it is possible to employ the connecting means 4 that is a conductive body that is bonded to the core portion 11 via an adhesive and has a higher conductivity than the core portion 11. In this case, the adhesion between the exposed portion 5 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.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that this adhesive has a higher electrical conductivity than the core 11. By using such an adhesive, the electrical resistance between the exposed portion 5 and the conductive body can be reduced. For example, it can be connected with a conductive paint. Although it does not specifically limit as a conductive coating material, For example, the dotite etc. by Fujikura Kasei Co., Ltd. can be mentioned.

  Further, in the fabric 2, the tension applied to the warp or weft perpendicular to the exposed portion 5 is greater than the tension applied to the warp or weft orthogonal to the sheath continuous in the axial direction of the exposed portion 5. High is preferred. When the tension of the warp or weft that intersects the exposed portion 5 is set higher than the tension of the warp or weft that intersects the non-exposed portion 6, the tension when the fabric 2 is viewed as a whole is not constant, and strength is applied. . Since the exposed portion 5 is not covered with the sheath portion 12 and is thin as a fiber, this portion may cause wrinkles on the fabric 2. On the other hand, when production of a plain woven fabric or the like is assumed, wrinkles can be prevented from occurring in the fabric 2 by setting the tension of the yarn intersecting with the exposed portion 5 high in advance. Therefore, the strength of the fabric 2 as a fabric can be sufficiently ensured.

  In this embodiment, the conductive fiber 10 can be used only for the weft or warp of the fabric 2. If the conductive fiber 10 passes in one direction, the energization of the fabric 2 can be ensured. Therefore, in the woven fabric that can distinguish between the weft and the warp, the function as a heating element even when the conductive fiber 10 is used only for the weft or warp. Is secured. As the yarn not using the conductive fiber 10, fibers having various performances other than the energization / heat generation function can be used instead, which is preferable from the viewpoint of increasing the degree of freedom of the functionality of the cloth heater 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the conductive fiber 10 is applied to the warp, a pair of connection means 4 can be formed on the top and bottom. By setting it as such a structure, the usage-amount of the electrically conductive fiber 10 can be reduced and it can contribute to the improvement of a fabric creation speed, and cost reduction.

  By replacing the cloth heater 1 of this embodiment with a cloth heater used in a vehicle, the energy efficiency for warming the passenger can be improved. And time until it warms up can be shortened significantly. As an example, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the cloth heater 1 of this embodiment is installed on the seating surface of the seat cushion 41 of the vehicle seat 40. Although the exposed portion 5 of the cloth heater 1 or the portion corresponding to the connecting means 4 is not shown, it can be installed on the back side of the seat cushion 41. It can also be fixed by drawing it into a groove-like part formed in the seat cushion 41. Of course, the assembly location of the cloth heater 1 is not particularly limited. For example, the present invention can be applied to the front side, the back side, etc. of the seat back 42 in addition to the seat cushion 41 of the vehicle seat.

  In addition to the application to the vehicle described above, the cloth heater 1 of this embodiment can be used as an electric blanket. Moreover, it can also be used as a sheet or the like having a bed heating function in a hospital or a nursing facility. In these application examples, it is preferable not only because the property of the fabric heater 1 that the fibers themselves generate heat but also the air permeability can be maintained and the fabric does not feel uncomfortable due to the metal wiring.

  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]
First, the conductive polymer fiber used for forming the fabric of the fabric heater according to this example was prepared by the wet spinning method shown below. In the wet spinning method, acetone (manufactured by Wako Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used for the solvent phase. Then, a 7 wt% aqueous solution of a conductive polymer PEDOT / PSS aqueous dispersion (HC Starck Co., Ltd .: Clevios (registered trademark) P) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) once filtered. 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 a speed of. As the microsyringe, MS-GLL100 manufactured by Ito Seisakusho with an inner diameter of the needle portion of 260 μm was used.

The conductivity of the obtained conductive polymer fiber was measured in accordance with JIS K7194 (Resistivity test method based on 4-probe method of conductive plastic). The obtained resistivity (Ω · cm) was about 10 ⁻¹ Ω · cm. Twenty conductive polymer fibers were bundled into a bundle. This conductive polymer fiber was used as the core of the core-sheath type conductive fiber in this example.

Next, a 17 wt% solution in which polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) was dissolved in cyclohexanone (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) was prepared as a sheath component of the core-sheath type conductive fiber in this example. This solution was applied to the core to obtain a core-sheath type conductive fiber having a cross-sectional area ratio of 1: 1. The total area of the core part was 100,000 μm ² .

  A plain woven fabric was obtained using this core-sheath type conductive fiber as a weft and a polyester fiber (Gunze Polina, manufactured by Chuo Textile Materials Co., Ltd.) as the warp. This plain woven fabric was cut into a 40 cm square and used as a fabric for the fabric heater according to this example. Next, at both ends of the core-sheath type conductive fiber constituting this fabric, the sheath part of each part 1 cm from the end was eluted to form an exposed part. The above cyclohexanone was used for elution of the sheath.

  The exposed portion was electrically connected to the left end and the right end by connecting means. As a connection means, a sewing stop using a copper wire (manufactured by Hitachi Cable) was adopted. This connecting means was electrically connected to the voltage applying means to obtain a cloth heater of this example. Note that a DC stabilized power supply (manufactured by A & D Co., Ltd.) was used as the voltage applying means. It was confirmed that the heating element generated heat at 40 ° C. by applying a voltage of 12 V to the cloth heater.

  The cloth heater of the present example was installed on the seat surface of Micra C + C (manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.) as a vehicle seat heater. The temperature was set to 0 ° C. in an environmental laboratory, and soak was performed for 2 hours. After 30 seconds of sitting on the occupant, a voltage of 12 V was applied and the surface temperature was monitored. As a result, the target temperature of 35 ° C. was reached in 3.0 minutes.

[Example 2]
A PVA solution in which carbon black (Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.) is dispersed at 20 wt% is coated on polyester fiber (Chuo Textile Co., Ltd .: Gunze Polina) so that the cross-sectional area ratio is 50:50. Thus, a core-sheath type conductive fiber was obtained. 30 core-sheath type conductive fibers were bundled to form a core part. The core part thus obtained had an electric resistivity of 100 Ω · cm and a total area of 236000 μm ² . A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the core obtained here was used.

[Example 3]
As a conductive material used for the core, silver coated fiber (Shaoxing Unjia Textile Co., Ltd .: Silver coated nylon fiber) was used. The resistivity of the core part was 0.01 Ω · cm, and the total area was 40000 μm ² . A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that this core part was used.

[Example 4]
A coating solution in which zinc oxide (ZnO) (made by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) is dispersed in PVA at a concentration of 20 wt% is coated on polyester fiber (Gunze Polina by Chuo Textile Materials Co., Ltd.) so that the cross-sectional area ratio is 50:50. Thus, a core-sheath type conductive fiber was obtained. 30 core-sheath type conductive fibers were bundled to form a core part. The resistivity of this core part was 10 Ω · cm, and the total area was 60000 μm ² . A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the core obtained here was used.

[Example 5]
An aqueous dispersion of PEDOT / PSS was coated on polyester fibers (Gunze Polina, manufactured by Chuo Textile Materials Co., Ltd.) so as to have a cross-sectional area ratio of 50:50 to obtain a core. The resistivity of this core part was 1 Ω · cm, and the total area was 60000 μm ² . A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the core obtained here was used.

[Example 6]
A polypyrrole 5% aqueous solution (manufactured by Aldrich Co., Ltd.) was employed as the conductive polymer used for the core. A conductive polymer fiber having a diameter of about 10 μm was obtained by the same wet spinning method as in Example 1. The resistivity of this conductive polymer fiber was 1 Ω · cm, and the total area was 1600 μm ² . A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that this conductive polymer fiber was used as the core.

[Example 7]
The exposed part was sandwiched with aluminum foil and stapled. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth-like heater of a present Example.

[Example 8]
Adhering the exposed portion with a conductive copper foil adhesive tape (manufactured by Teraoka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) was used as a connection means. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth-like heater of a present Example.

[Example 9]
Bonding the exposed portion with a conductive paste (made by Fujikura Kasei Co., Ltd.) was used as a connection means. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth-like heater of a present Example.

[Example 10]
When producing a fabric as a 40 cm square plain woven fabric, the core-sheath type conductive fiber obtained in Example 1 was used as a weft, and a polyester fiber (manufactured by Chuo Textile Materials Co., Ltd .: Gunze Polina) was used as the warp. At this time, the weaving machine so that the tension of the warp yarn perpendicular to each portion (exposed portion) of 1 cm from the left and right end portions of each weft yarn is increased by 10% relative to the tension of the other warp yarn perpendicular to the unexposed portion of each weft yarn. It was set. A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a plain woven fabric was obtained in this manner.

[Example 11]
When creating a fabric as a 40 cm square plain woven fabric, the core-sheath type conductive fiber obtained in Example 1 was used as warp, and polyester fiber (manufactured by Chuo Textile Materials Co., Ltd .: Gunze Polina) was used as the weft. At this time, the weaving machine is set so that the tension of the weft perpendicular to each part (exposed part) of 1 cm from the upper and lower ends of each warp increases by 10% with respect to the tension of the weft perpendicular to the unexposed part of each warp. did. A cloth heater of this example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a plain woven fabric was obtained in this manner.

[Example 12]
A 20 wt% solution of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (manufactured by Junsei Co., Ltd.) dissolved in cyclohexanone was applied to the core to obtain a core-sheath type conductive fiber having a cross-sectional area ratio of 1: 1. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth-like heater of a present Example.

[Example 13]
A 29 wt% mixed solution prepared by dissolving polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) in cyclohexanone (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) is applied to the core. A core-sheath type conductive fiber having a cross-sectional area ratio of 1: 1 was obtained. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth heater of the present Example. The mass ratio of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate was 43: 7.

[Example 14]
A 25 wt% solution of polystyrene (PS) (manufactured by Sigma-Aldrich Co.) dissolved in cyclohexanone (manufactured by Junsei Chemical Co., Ltd.) was applied to the core to obtain a core-sheath type conductive fiber having a cross-sectional area ratio of 1: 1. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth-like heater of a present Example.

[Example 15]
Using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (Sigma-Aldrich Co., Ltd.), a 25 wt% solution dissolved in cyclohexanone (Pure Chemical Co., Ltd.) is applied to the core, and the core-sheath type conductivity with a cross-sectional area ratio of 1: 1 is applied. Fiber was obtained. Except this, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and obtained the cloth-like heater of a present Example.

[Comparative Example 1]
As shown in FIG. 5, a copper wire (made by Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd .: polyester wire) was sewn and fixed as the heating element 52 to the nonwoven fabric 51 having a thickness of 1 mm. And the voltage application means 53 was connected to the heat generating body 52, and the seat heater 50 of this comparative example was prepared. This seat heater 50 was installed between the seat skin of Micra C + C and the cushion material, and used for evaluation. When a voltage of 12 V was applied to the heating element 52 in the same environment as in Example 1, heat generation on the sheet surface could be confirmed, but at the same time, heat generation at the conduction portion was also confirmed at the same temperature. The target temperature arrival time was 9.0 minutes.

[Evaluation test]
(Heat generation temperature)
With respect to the cloth heaters of the respective examples and the seat heaters of the comparative examples obtained as described above, the maximum temperature reached when not seated was evaluated. Environmental conditions such as temperature were the same as in Example 1 for all examples, and the temperature 10 minutes after energization was recorded. Table 1 shows the results and the evaluation results of the target temperature arrival time at the time of sitting.

(Measurement of fiber resistivity)
The conductive fibers and the like obtained as the cores in each Example and Comparative Example were dried at a temperature of 110 ° C. for 1 hour. Thereafter, the temperature was adjusted by leaving it to stand for 24 hours or more under the conditions of a temperature of 20 ° C. and a relative humidity of 30%. From this fiber, a single fiber test piece with a line length of 2 cm was collected. And the voltage was applied to the both ends of this test piece, and the electric current value was measured. At that time, a voltage of 0 to 10 V was applied in increments of 0.5 V, and a resistance value (Ω) was calculated from an IV curve obtained thereby. And the resistivity of each test piece was calculated | required from the relationship of resistivity ((rho)) (ohm * cm) = (R) x (S / L). R represents the resistance value (Ω) of the test piece, S represents the cross-sectional area (cm ² ), and L represents the length (2 cm). More specifically, the number of samples was 10, and the average value was adopted as the resistivity of the sample. The cross-sectional area of the test piece was calculated by observing the fiber under an electron microscope. Table 1 also shows the resistivity values obtained for each example. The above-described voltage application was performed using AD-8735 DC POWER SUPPLY manufactured by A & D Corporation. Moreover, 2700MULTIMETER made from TFF Keithley Instruments Co., Ltd. was used as a current value measuring machine.

  Table 1 shows the conductive material of the core part, the number, the resistivity, the total area, the material of the sheath part, and the cross-sectional area ratio between the core part and the sheath part in each example and comparative example. The cross-sectional areas of the core and the sheath were calculated by observing the fiber under an electron microscope. Furthermore, those in which the tension applied to the warp or weft constituting the fabric in each of the examples and comparative examples is constant are evaluated as “constant”, and those in which some of the yarns are set to be strong are “strong”. Is also shown in Table 1. In addition, Table 1 also shows the fixing method of the connecting means and the installation direction of the conductive fibers in each of the examples and comparative examples.

  As can be seen from Table 1, as compared with the seat heater of the comparative example, all of the cloth heaters of the examples can be evaluated as having a short time to reach the target temperature and being excellent in quick warming. Furthermore, it can be evaluated that the maximum temperature achieved by the cloth heaters of the examples is higher than that of the comparative examples and that the energy efficiency is also excellent, under the same voltage and environmental conditions.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the Example and the comparative example, this invention is not limited to these. That is, various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cloth heater 2 Cloth 3 Voltage application means 4 Connection means 5 Exposed part 10 Core-sheath type conductive fiber 11 Core part 12 Sheath part

Claims (10)

A cloth having a core-sheath type conductive fiber which is a columnar shape and has a conductive core part and a sheath part which covers a longitudinal side surface of the core part and has a non-conductive property;
Voltage applying means for applying a voltage to at least one of the core parts;
Connection means for electrically connecting an exposed portion formed by at least one of the core-sheath-type conductive fibers and exposing the core portion, and the voltage application means;
With
The tension applied to the warp or weft perpendicular to the exposed portion of the fabric is higher than the tension applied to the warp or weft orthogonal to the sheath continuous in the axial direction of the exposed portion. Cloth-like heater characterized by.   The cloth heater according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means is a conductive body that is pressure-bonded to the core portion and has a higher conductivity than the core portion.   The cloth heater according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting means is a fiber that is sewn to the core and has a higher conductivity than the core.   The cloth heater according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting means is a pair of conductive bodies that sandwich the core portion and have a higher conductivity than the core portion.   The cloth form according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting means is a conductive body that is bonded to the core portion via an adhesive and has a higher conductivity than the core portion. heater.   The cloth heater according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive has a higher conductivity than the core. The cloth heater according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheath portion includes an amorphous resin . The said core part has a conductive polymer fiber containing at least one selected from the group which consists of a semiconductor, a conductive polymer, and carbon, The Claim 1 thru | or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Cloth heater. The cloth heater according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the core has an electrical resistivity of 10 ^-3 to 10 ² Ω · cm . The cloth heater according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the core-sheath type conductive fiber is used only for the weft or warp of the cloth.

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