Patent Application
20130260630
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-072652 filed on Mar. 28, 2012 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a woven fabric having a high shrinkage yarn that has a relatively high shrinkage ratio and a low shrinkage yarn that has a relatively low shrinkage ratio.
2. Description of Related Art
A woven fabric having an insulating fiber (high shrinkage yarn) and conductive wire (low shrinkage yarn), as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-261116 (JP 2010-261116 A) below is known. JP 2010-261116 A describes a woven fabric having a structure in which a shrinking portion is provided at a predetermined location formed by an insulating fiber. This shrinking portion tends to shrink more at the predetermined location than at other locations. Also, the conductive wire bends in a planar direction when the shrinking portion shrinks. Having the conductive wire bend in the planar direction in this way (i.e., inhibiting the conductive wire from protruding in a direction in which it intersects the plane) makes it possible to prevent the conductive wire that has a relatively low extension percentage from disconnecting.
Because the woven fabric described in JP 2010-261116 A must have the shrinking portion that shrinks relatively easily, the aesthetics may be diminished due to the fact that this shrinkage portion shrinks more than the other portions.
In view of this, the invention thus provides a woven fabric in which disconnection of a low shrinkage yarn is inhibited without diminishing the aesthetics.
A first aspect of the invention relates to a woven fabric having a high shrinkage yarn that has a predetermined shrinkage ratio and a low shrinkage yarn that has a relatively lower shrinkage ratio than the high shrinkage yarn. An inductive portion that allows displacement in a planar direction is formed by the high shrinkage yarn. At least a portion of the low shrinkage yarn is engaged with the inductive portion and bent in the planar direction.
According to this structure, when the high shrinkage yarn shrinks a relatively large amount, the inductive portion that is formed by the high shrinkage yarn and allows displacement in the planar direction causes the low shrinkage yarn to be induced in a predetermined direction of the planar direction and bend in that direction. As a result, disconnection of the low shrinkage yarn is able to be inhibited. The structure is not one that greatly shrinks the high shrinkage yarn locally as the related art does, so the aesthetics of the woven fabric will not be diminished.
In the aspect described above, the inductive portion may include a first inductive portion that allows displacement in a predetermined direction of the planar direction, and a second inductive portion that allows displacement in a direction opposite the predetermined direction of the planar direction, the first inductive portion being formed alternately with the second inductive portion, and the at least a portion of the low shrinkage yarn may be engaged with the inductive portion and bent alternately in the predetermined direction and in the direction opposite the predetermined direction of the planar direction.
According to this structure, the low shrinkage yarn bends alternately like a way by forming the first and second inductive portions alternately so as to allow displacement in the predetermined direction and the direction opposite the predetermined direction. That is, the structure is one in which the portions that are bent in the length direction of the low shrinkage yarn are formed substantially evenly, so the load bearing capacity and the like of the low shrinkage yarn is improved.
Also, the woven fabric having the structure described above may also include a restraining portion that is formed by the high shrinkage yarn between at least some of the first inductive portions and the second inductive portions, and with which the low shrinkage yarn engages, and in which a range over which the displacement of the low shrinkage yarn is allowed is smaller than that of the inductive portion.
According to this structure, by forming a restraining portion in which the range over which displacement is allowed is smaller than that of the first and second inductive portions, the low shrinkage yarn is able to be inhibited from deviating from its position and the like by the restraining portion. Also, when the high shrinkage yarn shrinks, a predetermined portion of the low shrinkage yarn is held by the restraining portion, and portions of the low shrinkage yarn that are on both sides of this predetermined portion are induced by the inductive portion and bend in the planar direction. That is, with the portion of the low shrinkage yarn that is held by the restraining portion as the fulcrum, the portions on both sides of this portion are induced in the planar direction, so the effect of inhibiting the low shrinkage yarn from protruding in a direction that intersects the plane is further improved.
A second aspect of the invention relates to a double or multiple woven fabric that includes the woven fabric described above, in which the low shrinkage yarn forms a portion of a layer on one side in a thickness direction.
When the structure is one in which the low shrinkage yarn is arranged on a layer on a back surface side of a double or multiple woven fabric in this way, the low shrinkage yarn bends along a plane on one side in the thickness direction, so the low shrinkage yarn is not visible from the other side in the thickness direction. That is, from the other side in the thickness direction, the woven fabric appears to be formed by only the high shrinkage yarn, so the aesthetics are excellent.
According to this structure, a woven fabric in which disconnection of a low shrinkage yarn is inhibited without diminishing the aesthetics is able to be obtained.
Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
Example embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A seat cover of a vehicle seat will be given as an example of that to which a woven fabric 1 according to the example embodiments of the invention is applied. Hereinafter, various structures will be described in detail, with a woven fabric used as a seat cover of a vehicle seat as an example.
The woven fabric 1 according to the example embodiments includes a high shrinkage yarn 2 and a low shrinkage yarn 3. The high shrinkage yarn 2 is a yarn made of material with a relatively high shrinkage ratio (i.e., it shrinks easily) (compared to the low shrinkage yarn 3). The low shrinkage yarn 3 is a yarn made of material with a relatively low shrinkage ratio (i.e., it does not shrink easily) (compared to the high shrinkage yarn 2). The woven fabric 1 according to the example embodiments is such that a portion that will be the base of the woven fabric is formed by the high shrinkage yarn 2, and the low shrinkage yarn 3 is woven in along the width direction of the base portion. The high shrinkage yarn 2 may be a well-known natural fiber such as cotton, hemp, or wool, or an artificial fiber such as polyester or nylon. Any of a variety of types of yarns may be used as the high shrinkage yarn 2, as long as it has a higher shrinkage ratio than the low shrinkage yarn 3. Also, the low shrinkage yarn 3 may be made be a conductive wire of conductive metal or carbon fiber or the like. In the woven fabric that is used as a seat cover of a vehicle seat, the conductive wire that is arranged as the low shrinkage yarn 3 may be used as a capacitance-type sensor for detecting whether an occupant is seated or as a heater wire that generates heat by being energized.
A low shrinkage yarn 3a is arranged passing under this inductive portion 21a. That is, the low shrinkage yarn 3a is held by the inductive portion 21a so that it (the low shrinkage yarn 3a) does not protrude in a direction that intersects the plane. When a finishing process (including a heat treatment process) such as that described in JP 2010-261116 A is applied to the woven fabric in the state shown in
In this example embodiment, the first inductive portion 211b that allows displacement in the direction of arrow A has a portion that extends farther in the direction of arrow A than the second inductive portion 212b that is lined up with the first inductive portion 211b in the width direction. The second inductive portion 212b that allows displacement in the direction of arrow B has a portion that extends farther in the direction of arrow B than the first inductive portion 211b that is lined up with the second inductive portion 212b in the width direction. Also, the portion of the first inductive portion 211b that is lies farther in the direction of arrow B than the rest of the first inductive portion 211b and the portion of the second inductive portion 212b that lies farther in the direction of arrow A than the rest of the second inductive portion 212b are set overlapping each other in the direction of arrows A and B (so as to be in the same position in the direction of arrows A and B).
As shown in
In this second example embodiment, one first inductive portion 211b that allows displacement in the direction of arrow A (a predetermined direction) is formed alternately with one second inductive portion 212b that allows displacement in the direction of arrow B (the direction opposite the predetermined direction). Alternatively, however, the structure may also be one in which a plurality of the first inductive portions 211b are formed alternately with a plurality of the second inductive portions 212b, such as a structure in which two of the first inductive portions 211b are formed alternately with two of the second inductive portions 212b. Also, the structure may be one in which one first inductive portion 211b or one second inductive portion 212b is formed alternately with a plurality of the second inductive portions 212b or the first inductive portions 211b.
Furthermore, in the example embodiment described above, the amount of displacement allowed by the first inductive portion in the direction of arrow A need only be at least greater than the amount of displacement allowed by the first inductive portion in the direction of arrow B, and the amount that displacement allowed by the second inductive portion in the direction of arrow B need only be at least greater than the amount of displacement allowed by the second inductive portion in the direction of arrow A. In other words, the yarn skipping amount in the direction of arrow A (the predetermined direction) from the position where the low shrinkage yarn is engaged at the first inductive portion need only be greater than the yarn skipping amount in the direction of arrow B (the direction opposite the predetermined direction) from the position where the low shrinkage yarn is engaged at the first inductive portion, and the yarn skipping amount in the direction of arrow B (the direction opposite the predetermined direction) from the position where the low shrinkage yarn is engaged at the second inductive portion need only be greater than the yarn skipping amount in the direction of arrow A (the predetermined direction) from the position where the low shrinkage yarn is engaged at the second inductive portion. In other words, it is not necessary to form the first inductive portion so as not to allow any displacement in the direction of arrow B, and form the second inductive portion so as not to allow any displacement in the direction of arrow A.
The restraining portion 22c is a location in which the range over which displacement is allowed is smaller than it is at the inductive portion 21 (211c and 212c). Therefore, a greater restraining force is generated by friction force and the like at a portion of the low shrinkage yarn 3c that is positioned under the restraining portion 22c than at a portion of the low shrinkage yarn 3c that is positioned under the inductive portion 21 (211c and 212c). With a structure in which the inductive portions 211c and 212c are formed in the direction of arrows A and B as in this example embodiment, the length of the restraining portion 22c in the direction of the arrows A and B is shorter than the length of the inductive portions 211c and 212c in the direction of arrows A and B. That is, the size of the area where the restraining portion 22c allows displacement of the low shrinkage yarn 3c in the direction of arrows A and B is smaller than the size of the area where the inductive portions 211c and 212c allow displacement of the low shrinkage yarn 3c in the direction of arrows A and B. Also, in this example embodiment, each restraining portion 22c is set in generally the same position in the direction of arrows A and B.
As shown in
In the third example embodiment, the restraining portion 22c is formed between each first inductive portion 211c and each second inductive portion 212c, but the restraining portion 22c need only be formed between at least some of the first inductive portions 211c and the second inductive portions 212c. That is, the woven fabric 1c according to this example embodiment may be such that the restraining portion 22c is formed between at least some of the first inductive portions 211c that allow displacement in the predetermined direction of the planar direction and the second inductive portions 212c that allow displacement in the direction opposite the predetermined direction of the planar direction.
Also,
While the woven fabric 1 (1a to 1d) according to various example embodiments of the invention, in which the inductive portion 21 (i.e., the first inductive portion 211 and the second inductive portion 212) and the restraining portion 22 with which the low shrinkage yarn 3 engage are formed by the high shrinkage yarn 2 is described above, the intervals and the like of the inductive portion 21 and the restraining portion 22 may also be modified as appropriate. For example, as is evident when comparing a woven fabric 1e shown in
Also, each of the woven fabrics described above may be a double woven fabric or a multiple woven fabric in which the low shrinkage yarn 3 forms a portion of a layer on one side in a thickness direction. For example, with a double woven fabric, as shown in
With the woven fabric according to the example embodiments described above, when the high shrinkage yarn shrinks a relatively large amount, the low shrinkage yarn is induced and bends in the planar direction by the inductive portion that is formed by high shrinkage yarn and allows displacement in a direction in the planar direction, so disconnection of the low shrinkage yarn is able to be inhibited. In these example embodiments, the structure is superb in that it does not greatly shrink the high shrinkage yarn locally as the related art does, so the aesthetics of the woven fabric will not be diminished.
Hereinafter, the invention will be described with reference to specific examples. However, the invention is not intended to be limited by the examples below.
A first example will first be described. Woven fabrics having the weaves shown in
Then a finishing process that includes relaxing heat treatment of 90° C.×20 minutes was applied to the woven fabric using a jet dyeing machine. The weaving density after the finishing process was warp/weft=233 strands/108 strands per 25.4 mm square, so the base portion of the woven fabric shrunk 39% compared to what it was before the finishing process.
Upon checking the conductive yarn that is the low shrinkage yarn of the woven fabrics of the first to fourth weaves after this finishing process, it was confirmed that the conductive yarn was bent in a wavy shape in the planar direction with all of the woven fabrics of the first to fourth weaves. However, when looking at the cycle and amplitude of the waves, the woven fabric of the first weave was the most varied, and the woven fabrics of the third and fourth weaves where the most even (had the prettiest waves). It is thought that the reason for the large variation in the cycle and amplitude of the conductive yarn in the woven fabric of the first weave is because the positions of all of the inductive portions in the direction of arrows A and B are the same. Also, it is thought that the reason that the variation in the cycle and amplitude of the conductive yarn in the woven fabric of the second weave was smaller than that of the woven fabric of the first weave is because the inductive portions are formed in a zigzag pattern such that the first inductive portion induces the conductive yarn in the direction of arrow A and the second inductive portion induces the conductive yarn in the direction of arrow B. Moreover, it is thought that the reason that the cycle and amplitude of the conductive yarn in the woven fabrics of the third and fourth weaves were the most even is because the conductive yarn was bent with a portion restrained by the restraining portion provided between the first inductive portion and the second inductive portion as the fulcrum.
Also, the conductive yarn that is the low shrinkage yarn was examined for disconnections in each of the woven fabrics of the first to fourth weaves after the finishing process. No disconnections in the conductive yarn occurred in any of the woven fabrics. The examination for disconnections in the conductive yarn was performed by heating the conductive yarn by energizing it with 0.6 A. If there is portion where the temperature rises locally compared with another portion (i.e., if there is a portion where the temperature difference is equal to or greater than 5° C.) after one minute, or if the conductive yarn is unable to be energized, a determination of “disconnection” is made.
Next, a second example will be described. A woven fabric having the weave shown in
Upon checking the woven fabric after the finishing process, it was confirmed that the conductive yarn was bent in a wavy shape in the planar direction. Also, the cycle and amplitude of the waves was constant.
Further, there were no disconnections in the conductive yarn that is the low shrinkage yarn of the woven fabric after the finishing process.
Next, a comparative example will be described. A woven fabric of the weave shown in
With the woven fabric according to the comparative example after the finishing process, bending (i.e., a protruding portion (90x)), in which a conductive yarn (90) that is a low shrinkage yarn protrudes from the plane, as well as disconnections were confirmed to occur frequently. It was recognized that the restraining portion is a portion that acts in a favorable direction only with an inductive portion that induces the low shrinkage yarn in the planar direction.
While the invention has been described with reference to example embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments or constructions. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements. In addition, while the various elements of the example embodiments are shown in various combinations and configurations, other combinations and configurations, including more, less or only a single element, are also within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-072652 | Mar 2012 | JP | national |
