JP2003280049A - Functional fiber and textile using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a functional fiber whose external appearance such as the color and pattern can be changed at any time as a user desires and to provide a textile which uses the functional fiber. <P>SOLUTION: A dispersion system obtained by dispersing migrating particles 4 in a dispersant solvent 3 is charged in a transparent hollow yarn 2. The distribution state of the migrating particles 4 is changed by applying a voltage and a magnetic field to change the outward appearance as needed. Function fibers or a functional fiber and a nonfunctional fiber are woven to obtain the textile having a display function. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a functional fiber whose appearance such as color and pattern can be changed at any time and a woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber. Particularly, it is a functional fiber capable of reversibly and instantaneously changing its color by the action of a voltage, and a woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The woven or knitted fabric of the present invention is not only widely used as a clothing material, a wallpaper material, etc., but can also be used as a display device capable of displaying a desired pattern, characters, etc. by locally applying a voltage. It is a functional woven / knitted fabric.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Highly functional woven and knitted fabrics widely used as clothing materials, wallpaper materials and the like have been advanced, but it has been difficult to change their patterns and colors.

Registered Utility Model Publication No. 3020011 describes that a pattern, a symbol, a character, etc., which can be normally worn in a bright place and receive a light from a black light in a dark place, emits a bright luminous state of a pattern, a symbol or a character. Clothes that can be made to stand out, eliminate the need to change clothes, and have the variability that enhances the effect of production in a dark place are disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-43864 discloses that
(A) a specific electron-donating near-infrared absorbing organic compound,
(B) A compound that is an electron-accepting compound for the organic compound, (c) a compound that is a reaction medium that reversibly causes an electron-accepting reaction by the components (a) and (b) in a specific temperature range is included. There is disclosed a reversible thermochromic endothermic cloth provided with a reversible thermochromic layer formed by dispersing microcapsules in a synthetic resin.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent No. 2551783, as shown in FIG. 7, a dispersion solvent 35 made of an organic solvent and electrophoretic particles are formed between electrodes 33, 34 formed on the surfaces of opposed substrates 31, 32, respectively. An electrophoretic display device having a structure having microcapsules 37 in which 36 and 36 are enclosed is disclosed. In this electrophoretic display device, a dispersion solvent 35 containing electrophoretic particles 36 is enclosed between a pair of transparent electrodes 33 and 34, at least one of which is transparent, and the action of a display control voltage applied between the electrodes 33 and 34 is applied. Below is an electrophoretic display device that changes the distribution state of the electrophoretic particles 36 in the dispersion system to change the optical reflection characteristics to perform a desired display operation.
5 to form a large number of microcapsules 37 enclosing a dispersion system in which at least one kind of electrophoretic particles 36 having different optical characteristics from each other are dispersed, and these microcapsules 37 are arranged between the electrodes 33 and 34. It is configured in.

[0006]

However, for example, registered utility model publication No. 3020011 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-4386.
The conventional woven and knitted fabrics whose colors and patterns are changed as described in Japanese Patent No. 4 are changed by external light irradiation, temperature and the like, and cannot be arbitrarily changed by the user.

On the other hand, in the electrophoretic display device described in Japanese Patent No. 2551783 and having the dispersion system enclosed in the microcapsules 37 as shown in FIG. 7, the display can of course be changed arbitrarily. But two boards 3
Since the microcapsules 37 are sandwiched between the Nos. 1 and 32, the thickness becomes thick, it is difficult to maintain flexibility, and it is expensive, so that it cannot be widely used as a clothing material, a wallpaper material and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a functional fiber and a woven / knitted fabric using the functional fiber, which allows the user to change the appearance of color and pattern at any time as desired.

Further, the object of the present invention is not only widely applicable as a clothing material, a wallpaper material, etc., but also by applying a voltage locally, a desired pattern, character, image, moving image, etc. can be displayed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible high-performance woven or knitted fabric that can be used as a flexible display device.

[0010]

In the functional fiber of the present invention, a transparent hollow fiber is filled with a dispersion system in which electrophoretic particles are dispersed in a dispersion solvent to change the distribution state of the electrophoretic particles. It is possible to make a desired change in appearance by doing so.

In the functional fiber of the present invention, the distribution state change is generated by voltage.

In the woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention, a hollow fiber having a transparent outer wall is filled with a dispersion system in which electrophoretic particles are dispersed in a dispersion solvent, and the distribution state of the electrophoretic particles is adjusted. It is characterized by having a structure in which a functional fiber capable of performing a desired display operation by being changed is knitted.

The woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention is filled with a dispersion system in which electrophoretic particles are dispersed in a dispersion solvent inside a transparent hollow fiber to change the distribution state of the electrophoretic particles. It is characterized in that it has a structure in which a functional fiber capable of performing a desired display operation is knitted as a weft thread and / or a warp thread.

The woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention is characterized in that the distribution state change is caused by a voltage (electric field, electric field).

The woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention is characterized in that an electrode for applying a voltage is provided on at least one surface of the structure in which the functional fiber is knitted.

A woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention is filled with a filler in a gap of the woven or knitted fabric in which the functional fiber is knitted, and both sides of the woven or knitted fabric filled with the filler are smoothed, An electrode is provided on the smoothed surface.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in more detail below. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a functional fiber 1 of the present invention. The functional fiber 1 is a long fiber in which a dispersion solvent 3 and electrophoretic particles 4 are contained inside a hollow fiber 2 made of a transparent material. The fiber means a single fiber, a bundle of fibers is a yarn, and a yarn woven is sometimes defined as a woven or knitted fabric, but in the present invention, a yarn in a state before knitting is a fiber. And

The cross section of the hollow fiber 2 is not limited to a circle, but may be an ellipse, a quadrangle, or any other shape known as a thread for textiles. Further, by using a flexible material as the hollow fiber material, it can be deformed after being prepared.

The fiber used in the present invention has a diameter of 1 to 1.
000 μm, thickness of fiber outer wall is 0.01 ~ 300
μm, fiber diameter to outer wall thickness ratio is 100: 1 ~
It is preferably 3: 1. If it is less than the above range, the fiber strength is insufficient, and if it exceeds the above range, the display characteristics are deteriorated.

It is possible to color the material of the hollow fiber 2 in advance, or to form a colored transparent material layer on the surface of the hollow fiber 2 for coloring.

In order to obtain the functional fiber 1, a hollow fiber 2 may first be prepared, and then a hollow fiber may be used in which the dispersion system in which the electrophoretic particles 4 are contained in the dispersion solvent 3 is filled in the fiber hollow portion. However, the wall thickness of the fiber becomes thicker and the number of processes is increased, resulting in high cost. For this reason, the functional fiber of the present invention is particularly preferably a functional fiber prepared by integral extrusion forming (coextrusion method) in which a resin is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the dispersion while extruding the dispersion system through the pores. The wall thickness can be further reduced by using a wall material having plasticity and filling the dispersion system while applying pressure. Immediately after the fiber is produced at that time, it is more effective in reducing the wall thickness if the fiber itself is stretched by applying tension in the longitudinal direction. As the plastic wall material, a thermoplastic resin which has not only plasticity at room temperature but also plasticity by appropriate heating during filling can be preferably used.

When using hollow fibers, the hollow fibers can be prepared by various known methods. A typical method is the coextrusion method. It coextrudes a polymer dissolved in a suitable solvent or solvent system with a fluid which may be inert or may be a coagulating liquid or a precipitation fluid. That is, the polymer solution is extruded through a circular orifice. The inert or coagulating or precipitating fluid is extruded through the central hole of the circular slit. This fluid is called the central fluid or central medium. It is common practice to run the coextrudate in the atmosphere for a short time in the range of a few seconds to a few seconds, and the properties of the resulting hollow fiber membrane are influenced by the length of this air gap. . Subsequently, the coextrudate is usually drawn through some fluid that is the same as or different from the central fluid. Water and nitrogen gas are generally widely used as the central fluid. It is also possible to make it by injection molding or the like.

In the case of integral extrusion formation, a dispersion system described below may be used as a central fluid in the above coextrusion method. And, of course, at the same time when the hollow fiber is completed, the functional fiber in which the filling of the dispersion system is completed is obtained.

It is also possible to further form a surface coating layer on the inner wall of the hollow fiber 2. By using a fluorine resin or the like for this coating layer, it is possible to effectively prevent the electrophoretic particles 4 from adhering to the inner wall.

"Solvent" The dispersion solvent 3 used in the present invention includes aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, and fats and oils such as silicone oil, which are used singly or in an appropriate mixture, or are synthesized. Resins, synthetic products such as synthetic waxes, known solution compounds such as natural waxes, silicone oils, and fluorine oils can be used. Among the above, preferably a liquid dispersion solvent having a linear alkylbenzene structure, such as n-amylbenzene, n.
-Hexylbenzene, n-heptylbenzene and n-
Octylbenzene or the like or fluorine oil can be used.

A dye may be added to the dispersion solvent for coloring, and dyes such as oil-soluble dyes such as anthraquinones and azo compounds may be used as the dye.

"Electrophoretic particles" The electrophoretic particles 4 are titanium oxide,
In addition to carbon black, dark blue or phthalocyanine green and well-known colloidal particles, various organic and inorganic pigments, dyes, metal powders, fine powders of glass or resins, etc. can be used. It is also possible to use only one of these, two or more types, especially white particles, black particles, three colors of red, blue and green, and further white,
It is also possible to use particles of five colors of black, red, blue and green. For example, when two particles of black and white are used, by setting the charging to the opposite of positive and negative, the white particles are attracted by the external voltage, the black particles repel and move away, or the opposite state occurs. A black and white color change is possible. Figure 4
Indicates the case where the black particles 4a and the white particles 4b whose positive and negative charges are used are used.

The particle size of the electrophoretic particles 4 is 0.01.
It is preferably 10 μm. When the particle size is in such a range, the particles can be preferably dispersed, and the moving speed can be a speed that causes no practical problems.

In addition, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, polyethylene oxide, polymethylmethacrylate, silane coupling agent, titanium cup for controlling the surface charge amount of the electrophoretic particles 4 and enhancing the dispersibility. You may add a ring agent, a silane coupling agent, etc.

"Hollow Fiber" As the synthetic resin constituting the hollow fiber 2, a thermoplastic synthetic resin is preferable in view of stable quality in continuous production and economical mass production, for example, ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 4 -A homopolymer or copolymer of α-olefins such as methyl-pentene or a polyolefin-based synthetic resin comprising a copolymer of these α-olefins and other monomers, a polyamide-based synthetic resin such as nylon, Polyethylene terephthalate
Examples thereof include polyester-based synthetic resins, polyvinyl chloride-based synthetic resins, polyvinylidene chloride-vinyl copolymer-based synthetic resins, and the like, and a blend of two or more of these may be used. Further, an ultraviolet curable resin which can be polymerized online can also be preferably used.

Further, it is optional to add a predetermined amount of additives such as a plasticizer, a lubricant, an ultraviolet absorber, an antistatic agent, a flame retardant, a colorant and a filler to the resin composition.

[Weaving Method] It is possible to arrange the functional fibers of the present invention in a single row on a flat surface on a separately prepared substrate, but it is extremely difficult industrially to arrange the fine fibers regularly. Moreover, the presence of the base body impairs thinning and flexibility. Therefore, in the present invention,
A structure in which fibers are braided without using a substrate is particularly preferable.

The woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention is a knitted product of the above-mentioned functional fiber.
As a weaving method, a functional fiber is generally knitted into warp and weft threads.

Here, a woven or knitted fabric is not a woven fabric in a narrow sense, but a wide sense of yarn (fiber) is combined,
A planar structure. For example, the warp yarns and the weft yarns are not limited to intersect at right angles, and include the case where both are inclined and intersect. Although there are definitions that "knitting" and "weaving" are different concepts, they are used as the same meaning in the present invention as means for assembling fibers to create a planar structure.

Therefore, the weaving method is not particularly limited, and plain weave,
In addition to the three typical weaves, twill weave and satin weave, it is possible to use a planar structure that is created by various changes, applications, and combinations. FIG. 2 (A) shows an example of a woven or knitted fabric in which the functional fiber 1 is drawn up by warp and weft by plain weave.

A woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber of the present invention can be woven only with the fiber of the present invention, and of course, the functional fiber of the present invention and a fiber other than the functional fiber of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as non-functional fiber). It is also possible to configure by combining (referred to as fiber). FIG. 2B shows an example in which the functional fiber 1 is used for the warp (or weft) and a fiber other than the functional fiber is used for the weft (or warp).

FIG. 3 shows various examples of weaves in which the weaves are viewed in the axial direction of the functional fiber. The example of FIG. 3A shows the functional fiber as shown in FIG. 2A. Warp 1
This is an example in which it is used as a weft thread or is plain woven using one functional fiber and the other non-functional fiber 5. In the example of FIG. 3 (B), the functional fiber 1 is used for the warp yarn (or the weft yarn), the non-functional fiber 5 is used for the weft yarn (or the warp yarn), and they are woven in a cross shape.
In the example of FIG. 3 (C), the functional fiber 1 is used for the warp (or weft), the non-functional fiber 5 is used for the weft (or warp), and the non-functional fiber 5 is for each functional fiber 1. It is woven by turning one lap.
In the example of FIG. 3 (D), the functional fiber 1 is used for the warp (or weft), the functional fiber 1 or the non-functional fiber 5 is used for the weft (or warp), and the weft (or warp) is Further, the non-functional fiber 5 is woven.

Although the basic example in which one weft yarn and one warp yarn are alternately knitted has been described above, a knitting method in which, for example, three weft yarns are collected and weaved with one warp yarn is also applicable. Further, for example, as the weft, it is also preferable to use one functional fiber which is much longer than the width of the fabric to be woven and to bend and use it at the left and right ends of the fabric. Moreover,
It is also possible to fold one functional fiber back to form a warp structure, and then further use it as a folded back weft to woven one fiber. Of course, it is also possible to knit with one functional fiber as so-called knitting.

The non-functional fibers used in the present invention are not limited to the above synthetic resins, but spun yarns made of natural fibers such as wool spun yarns, cotton spun yarns, hemp spun yarns and rayon spun yarns. It can be used, but is preferably a substantially transparent material. By using a substantially transparent material, changes in the color and pattern of the functional fiber can be clearly observed.

"Electrode" The functional fiber of the present invention and the woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber are
It is possible to reversibly change the color that appears on the surface. For the voltage application to the functional fiber and the woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber, various known methods can be used. Among them, it is preferable to provide the electrode on the functional fiber or the woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber.

In FIG. 4 (A), a filling material 8 made of a transparent resin or the like is filled in the gap of the woven or knitted material assembled from the functional fiber 1 and the non-functional fiber 5 using the woven or knitted material, and the filling material 8 Electrodes 6 and 7 are provided on both sides of a woven or knitted fabric filled with, and the outer surfaces of the electrodes 6 and 7 are covered with protective layers 9 and 10 made of an insulating material to form a sheet. Figure 4
(B) is a vertical sectional view thereof. When such a filler 8 is used, the non-functional fiber 5 for binding the functional fiber 1 is not always necessary.

As the electrodes 6 and 7, various known conductive materials such as metal, carbon black and oxide can be used. In addition, a transparent conductor such as ITO or ZnO may be used for the electrode formed on the transparent substrate that becomes the display surface. Alternatively, even if it is a non-transparent conductor, it may be possible to obtain a transmittance that does not pose a problem in use by forming it very thin. The electrodes 6 and 7 are formed in a film shape using these materials. The electrodes 6 and 7 may be formed by a forming method such as a wet method or a vapor deposition method or a forming method by a coating method.
Then, it is patterned as required. The patterning can be performed by a known etching method using photolithography or pattern coating using a mask when forming a film.

The woven or knitted fabric of the present invention can be treated as a planar structure by itself in the state where the functional fiber is woven. That is, since the conventional electrophoretic display device has a base body for maintaining the structure, there is a limitation in thinning and flexibility, and the product price is increased by at least the price of the base body. In contrast, the present invention does not require the use of a substrate merely to support the structure. In the present invention, the total layer thickness of the functional layers such as the conductive layer thickness and the protective layer thickness is preferably smaller than the woven or knitted layer thickness. That is, the woven / knitted fabric itself is the main structure, and the functional layers such as the conductive layer thickness and the protective layer thickness are merely auxiliary layers.
With this configuration, it is possible to make the device thin and inexpensive.

The woven or knitted fabric according to the present invention can be used as it is in a knitted state. In this case, an external voltage application device is used to apply a predetermined voltage to the functional fiber and the woven or knitted fabric of the present invention to cause a change in appearance. It is also preferable to provide an electrode (not necessarily transparent) only on the back surface and apply a voltage between the electrode and an external electrode, which is effective for local voltage generation.

In the present invention, preferably, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, electrodes 6 and 7 for applying a voltage are provided on the woven or knitted fabric. For example, a woven or knitted material is coated on both sides with a filler 8 made of an insulating resin such as urethane to form through holes, that is, gaps between the functional fibers 1 or between the functional fiber 1 and the non-functional fiber 5. After the gap is sealed, the electrode 6 or 7 made of a transparent conductive film or the ultrathin non-transparent conductive film is formed on at least one surface. Particularly preferred is a conductive resin or a coating type ITO (indium tin oxide) film.

Further, the display device of the present invention is not limited to an electrophoretic display device in which an electric field is applied to electrophoretic particles by electrodes formed on opposite surfaces of a substrate, as well as an external device (voltage applying pen, voltage applying head, static electricity applying device). Electric ion flow device etc.)
It is also possible to provide a display device in which an electric field or electrification is applied to the particles to control the distribution state of the particles for display. further,
The functional fiber of the present invention is not limited to those containing electrophoretic particles, but also uses magnetophoresis to control the distribution state of the magnetophoretic particles by applying a magnetic field from the outside to change the appearance and to change the appearance. Can also be Further, various control devices such as a control circuit for controlling the voltage and a memory circuit may be combined.

[Operation] The operation principle of the woven or knitted fabric shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 (A), when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 6 and 7, the electrophoretic particles 4 that are charged are charged.
Moves to the electrode side opposite to the charging. As a result, the color of electrophoretic particles is observed on the surface. On the other hand, the color of the solvent 3 is observed on the back surface. As shown in FIG. 5 (B), when a voltage in the opposite direction to that of FIG. 5 (A) is applied, the electrophoretic particles 4 move to the back surface side this time, and the solvent 3
And the color of the electrophoretic particles 4 is observed on the back surface. The electrophoretic particles that have once moved remain for a long time and remain in the same place, so that the displayed color does not change even when the voltage application is stopped. If the electrophoretic particles 4 are uniformly dispersed in the dispersion system as shown in FIG. 5C, a mixed color of the solvent and the electrophoretic particles is obtained. In order to obtain such a distribution state, a relatively high-speed (10 to 100 Hz) AC voltage may be applied between the electrodes.

"Smoothing of electrode formation surface" The electrodes 6 and 7 are preferably formed on smooth surfaces. As shown in FIG. 6 (A), when the electrodes 6 and 7 are formed on the surface of the uneven woven or knitted material to which the filler 8 is applied, the voltage distribution is biased, so that a desired voltage is applied. I can't. Therefore, the surface of the insulative resin coating that becomes the filling material 8 is shown in FIG.
In order to make the surface smoother as shown in (B), not only the leveling action of the filler 8 in the undried state is utilized, but also the insulating resin coating surface is positively prepared, such as a separately prepared substrate having a smooth surface. It is also a preferable method to bring the surface shape of the substrate into contact with and transfer the surface shape of the substrate. The substrate having a smooth surface is not limited to a flat plate, and it is also preferable to use a cylindrical (roll-shaped) substrate, in particular, to smooth both surfaces by passing it between two heated cylindrical substrates. . If the smoothness can be evaluated using a surface roughness meter, the waviness (Wca) obtained from a curve obtained by removing a component having a short surface roughness indicates the distance between the surfaces of the insulating resin coating. It is preferably 1/5 or less,
It is particularly preferably 1/10 or less. There is no particular lower limit. When the value exceeds the above range, the voltage distribution is deviated.

The woven or knitted fabric of the present invention contains a self-extinguishing substance which reacts with heat to generate an incombustible substance and / or an incombustible gas and / or absorbs heat, or foams in response to heat. By containing the components, high flame retardancy can be obtained, which is preferable. Specifically, in the evaluation based on the vertical combustion test according to the generally used UL-94 (Underwriters Laboratory) standard, the display device of the present invention shows that the display device of the present invention has a flame retardancy of "V-0" grade or higher. To have sex.

[0050]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples.

Example 1 12 parts by weight of white titanium oxide having an average particle size of 0.8 μm as electrophoretic particles 4, 2 parts by weight of beta perfluoroheptylethyltrimethoxysilane as a dispersant, and a dispersion solvent for coloring 1 part by weight of the blue dye and 85 parts by weight of fluorine oil (Fluorinate manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited) as a main component of the dispersion solvent 3 were mixed by ultrasonic dispersion to prepare a dispersion system. next,
A functional fiber produced by a co-extrusion method using this dispersion system as a core material, polyethylene as a wall material, that is, a hollow fiber 2, is referred to as Example 1. The fiber was stretched immediately after being extruded while applying tension, so that the diameter was about 60% of the diameter immediately after extruding. In Example 1, the cross section was substantially circular, the average diameter was 50 μm, and the wall thickness (wall thickness of the hollow fiber 2) was 2 μm.

Example 2 12 parts by weight of white titanium oxide having an average particle size of 0.8 μm as electrophoretic particles 4, 1.5 parts of oleic acid and 0.5 part of a dispersant and a surface charge adjusting agent.
1 part by weight of a silane coupling agent and a dispersion solvent for coloring
A dispersion system was prepared by mixing a part by weight of the black dye and 85 parts by weight of silicone oil as a main component of the dispersion solvent 3 by ultrasonic dispersion.

A functional fiber was obtained by simultaneously irradiating with ultraviolet rays while extruding by a coextrusion method using the above dispersion system as a core material and an ultraviolet curable resin as a wall material, that is, hollow fiber 2. As a result, a functional fiber having a square cross section, an average length of one side of 30 μm, and a wall thickness of 10 μm was obtained.

[Embodiments 3, 4, 5] In Embodiment 2,
The functional fibers 1 in which the raw material UV curable resin is dyed in red, green, and blue as the hollow fiber 2 are used as Examples 3, 4, and 5.

Example 6 The functional fiber 1 of Example 1 and a transparent polyethylene terephthalate thread having a diameter of 10 μm were woven into plain weave as the non-functional fiber 5 and then added to a toluene-containing urethane resin solution as the filler 8. After repeating immersion coating and drying three times, the surface was further smoothed using two metal rolls having smooth surfaces.
After that, the conductive resin as the electrodes 6 and 7, the protective layers 9 and 1
The resin of 0 was applied in order to obtain the functional woven / knitted fabric of Example 6.

The space between the front and back electrodes of the woven or knitted fabric of Example 6 was 3
When a voltage of 0 V was applied, the surface changed to blue, which is the color of the dispersion solvent 3, and the back surface changed to white, which was the color of the electrophoretic particles 4. Next, when the applied voltage was reversed, the front surface turned white and the back surface turned blue. This change was reversible and the change rate was 100 ms. Even when the voltage application was stopped, the color immediately before that was retained.

[Example 7] As a warp, the hollow fiber 2 of Example 3 was continuous with 500 red functional fibers, and the horizontal warp was used as the warp, and the hollow fiber 2 of Example 4 was a green functional fiber. 500 continuous fibers, and further the hollow fiber 2 of Example 5
Is continuous with 500 blue functional fibers, and similarly, the hollow fiber 2 of Example 3 is a red functional fiber,
The hollow fiber 2 of Example 4 is a green functional fiber, and the hollow fiber 2 of Example 5 is a warp yarn prepared by repeating the functional fiber of blue a plurality of times, and a transparent polyethylene terephthalate as a non-functional fiber 5 having a diameter of 10 μm. After the yarn was used as a weft and plain-woven, it was dip-coated in a toluene-containing urethane resin solution for the filler 8 and dried, and then the surface was smoothed using two metal rolls having smooth surfaces. Then, the carbon-containing conductive coating material for the electrode 6 and the resin for the protective layers 9 and 10 were applied in that order on only one side, and the functional woven or knitted fabric of Example 7 was obtained.

When a voltage of 30 V was applied between the copper plate and the conductive layer of the woven or knitted material while closely adhering the copper plate provided on the outside of the Example 7 to the surface of the woven or knitted material of the seventh embodiment, the entire surface became black and was initialized. Was done. Then, the voltage applying pen is brought into contact with the surface of the woven or knitted fabric while applying a voltage of 20 V opposite to that at the time of initialization to the electrode 6 formed of the conductive paint layer of the woven and knitted fabric and the tip of the voltage applying pen provided outside. When drawn, one line was formed on the woven or knitted fabric, which was changed to three colors of red, green and blue. That is, when the white electrophoretic particles 4 are moved to the display surface by the contact of the voltage application pen, the red, green, or blue color that is the color of the hollow fiber 2 appears, and when the electrophoretic particles 4 are on the back surface side, the dispersion solvent 3 Black color appears.

Again, while an external copper plate for erasing was brought into close contact with the surface of the woven or knitted fabric of Example 7, an initialization voltage opposite to that of the voltage application pen was applied between the copper plate and the conductive paint layer of the woven or knitted fabric. Then, it was confirmed that the entire surface became black and that it was initialized again.

[Embodiment 8] In Embodiment 6, a toluene-containing urethane resin solution for the filler 8 is applied by dip coating.
After being dried, the surface smoothing treatment using a metal roll was not carried out as Example 8. In Example 8, undulations of about 17 μm occurred in the direction perpendicular to the fiber (about 3 μm in Example 6). Since the distance between the surfaces of the insulating resin coating was 70 μm,
One fifth of it is 14 μm, and one tenth is 7 μm. The convex part of this undulation coincided with the fiber part, and the concave part coincided with the part between the fibers. When the same evaluation as in Example 1 was performed, the change in contrast was about half that in Example 1.

[0061]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a functional fiber and a woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber, which allows the user to change the appearance of color and pattern at any time as desired. it can. Further, according to the present invention, as a display device not only widely usable as a clothing material, a wallpaper material, etc., but also capable of displaying a desired pattern, characters, images, moving images, etc. by locally applying a voltage. Also available,
It is possible to provide a woven or knitted fabric that is thin, inexpensive, and easy to bend.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a functional fiber of the present invention.

2 (A) and 2 (B) are plan views showing two examples of weaving methods of a woven or knitted material that can be adopted in the present invention.

3 (A) to (D) are cross-sectional views showing four examples of weaving methods for woven and knitted fabrics that can be used in the present invention.

4 (A) and 4 (B) are respectively a perspective view and a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a woven or knitted fabric of the present invention.

5 (A) to (C) are operation explanatory views of the woven or knitted fabric of FIG.

6 (A) and 6 (B) are diagrams showing a woven / knitted fabric in which an electrode formation surface is not smoothed and a woven / knitted fabric in which the electrode-formed surface is smoothed, respectively.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: functional fiber, 2: hollow fiber, 3: dispersion solvent,
4: electrophoretic particles, 5: non-functional fiber, 6, 7: electrode, 8: filler, 9, 10: protective layer

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) A41D 31/00 501 A41D 31/00 501Z F term (reference) 3B011 AC12 5C094 AA60 BA05 BA09 BA75 CA21 DA05 DA06 EA05 FA04 FB01 FB16 HA10

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A transparent hollow fiber is filled with a dispersion system in which electrophoretic particles are dispersed in a dispersion solvent, and the distribution state of the electrophoretic particles can be changed to make a desired appearance change. A functional fiber characterized by being 2. The functional fiber according to claim 1, wherein the change of the distribution state is generated by voltage. 3. A transparent hollow fiber is filled with a dispersion system in which electrophoretic particles are dispersed in a dispersion solvent, and a desired display operation can be performed by changing a distribution state of the electrophoretic particles. A woven or knitted fabric using functional fibers, which has a structure in which various functional fibers are knitted. 4. A desired display operation can be performed by filling a transparent hollow fiber with a dispersion system in which electrophoretic particles are dispersed in a dispersion solvent and changing the distribution state of the electrophoretic particles. A woven or knitted fabric using a functional fiber, which has a structure in which various functional fibers are knitted as a weft yarn and / or a warp yarn. 5. The woven / knitted fabric using the functional fiber according to claim 3, wherein the change in the distribution state is generated by voltage. 6. The woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber according to claim 5, wherein an electrode for applying a voltage is provided on at least one surface of the structure in which the functional fiber is knitted. 7. A woven or knitted fabric in which the functional fiber is knitted is filled with a filler, the both sides of the woven or knitted fabric filled with the filler are smoothed, and electrodes are provided on the smoothed faces. A woven or knitted fabric using the functional fiber according to claim 6.