JP2011058138A - Heat-insulating supporter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat-insulating supporter suitably controlling moisture and heat-insulating function in the skin environment of a wearer. <P>SOLUTION: The heat-insulating supporter is knitted using knitting yarn (17) formed of hydrophilic fibers and knitting yarn (18) formed of hydrophobic fiber by a plating stitch technique, and has a double structure where the knitting yarn formed of the hydrophilic fibers is arranged in an inner layer, and the knitting yarn formed of the hydrophobic fibers is arranged in an outer layer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a supporter with improved heat retention.

  Supporters have the function to wear and protect important parts of the body, especially those that tighten and fix muscles and joints for their intended use, and keep the body parts warm to promote the maintenance of metabolism or function Broadly divided into those that prevent decline. In the case of a supporter for the purpose of keeping warm, it is not necessary that the heat keeping effect is high, and it is important not only to have a heat keeping performance but also not to burden the skin. For example, if you use a supporter that uses fibers that have only a high heat storage effect but poor water absorption, it is easy to sweat due to heat retention, the moisture associated with sweating remains strong, and you will feel uncomfortable wearing, and the burden on the skin will also be large This is not preferable.

  An example of a supporter with improved heat retention effect is an infrared therapeutic supporter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-214348. This invention is composed of infrared absorbing fibers such as carbon-containing fibers, and the surface tissue is attached to the affected area to perform infrared treatment to increase the therapeutic effect. The surface tissue has excellent heat absorption and heat retention. In addition, it is said that a pile structure is applied to the back surface structure to improve heat insulation and to maintain heat insulation performance for a long time. However, even if such a supporter is effective in infrared treatment, it is not always clear what kind of heat-retaining effect is exhibited in the condition where infrared rays are not irradiated. In addition, when sweating due to heat insulation, the sweater is held by the supporter, so it is not clear how to handle the wet situation due to this.

  In view of the above problems, the present inventor researched a material that does not cause discomfort even when sweating and does not increase the burden on the skin, and developed a supporter. As a result, we have found a material with excellent performance in hydrophilicity, water absorption, biocompatibility, etc., and how to configure it to use the above performance of this material and to have the necessary heat retention function Research has been conducted and the present invention has been completed.

JP 2001-214348 A

  This invention is made paying attention to the said point, The subject is providing the heat retention supporter which can control suitably the moisture and heat retention function in a wearer's skin environment. Another object of the present invention is to have a two-layer structure inside and outside, absorb moisture such as sweat due to the hydrophilicity, water absorption and biocompatibility of the inner layer, and make the wearer's skin physiologically suitable conditions. It is to provide a heat insulating supporter that can maintain the heat insulating effect by maintaining the hydrophobicity and divergence of the outer layer.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention uses a knitting yarn made of hydrophilic fibers and a knitting yarn made of hydrophobic fibers as a heat retaining supporter, and is knitted by a splicing yarn knitting technique. The knitting yarn is arranged in the inner layer, and the means that the knitting yarn made of hydrophobic fibers is arranged in the outer layer has a two-layer structure.

  The heat retaining supporter of the present invention is a supporter having a heat retaining function. Since the heat retention performance is not pursued as a special purpose, it is not so much as for heat retention, but it is not kept warm, or the heat retention performance is not specifically reduced, and the heat retention function is sufficiently maintained. The supporter of the present invention is provided with hydrophilicity, water absorption, and biocompatibility so as to obtain a cool feeling by appropriately dissipating heat generated by biological activities to the outside, and to feel a foreign body feeling on the wearer's skin. On the other hand, it is configured to suppress the cool feeling associated with heat dissipation and thereby to have a necessary heat retaining function.

  Therefore, the present invention uses a knitting yarn made of hydrophilic fibers and a knitting yarn made of hydrophobic fibers. For example, in a garment using hydrophilic fibers, the temperature rise of the skin and the wetness inside the garment are reduced due to its high thermal conductivity. In addition, in the case of hydrophilic fibers with small foreign body recognition, the burden on the skin is reduced. On the other hand, hydrophobic fibers, on the other hand, have a low thermal conductivity and tend to store heat, thus exhibiting heat retention performance. A hydrophilic fiber consists of a fiber which has a hydroxyl group (OH), and a hydrophobic fiber consists of a fiber which does not have a hydrophilic group.

  It is desirable to use ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer fibers (EVOH fibers) as the hydrophilic fibers and polypropylene fibers (PP fibers) as the hydrophobic fibers. EVOH fiber is a clinical experiment conducted by a research group at Shinshu University School of Medicine for patients with atopic dermatitis, wearing EVOH fiber pajamas ("Itching of EVOH fiber shirts / pajamas for atopic dermatitis" As demonstrated by the multi-institutional wear test on “reduction effect”, Journal of the Japanese Dermatological Association, Volume: 116: 3: 351, published on March 20, 2006), excellent biocompatibility Demonstrate. The supporter using EVOH fiber is accompanied by a decrease in wetness and a decrease in skin temperature due to hydrophilicity and water absorption, but it alone loses the heat retention required for the supporter of the present invention.

  On the other hand, PP fiber is a fiber that has a very low thermal conductivity and exhibits excellent heat storage properties. On the other hand, PP fiber is suitable for a heat retaining support material because it is lightweight and enhances the wearing feeling. However, it should be noted that PP fiber is a fiber that does not absorb water, and if it is placed at a position where it comes into contact with the skin as a supporter, it remains highly moist and has a heavy burden. However, the properties of such PP fibers are improved by combining with the EVOH fibers and devising the knitting structure, and are suitable for supporters.

  In the present invention, the hydrophilic fiber and the hydrophobic fiber as described above are knitted by the splicing yarn knitting technique, and a knitting yarn (hereinafter, also referred to as a hydrophilic knitting yarn) made of a hydrophilic fiber is disposed in the inner layer. A two-layer knitted structure is obtained so that a knitting yarn made of hydrophobic fibers (hereinafter also referred to as a hydrophobic knitting yarn) is arranged in the outer layer. The splicing knitting technique uses two types of yarns to obtain a knitted structure so that one yarn covers the other, and this method knitting hydrophilic and hydrophobic knitting yarns. By doing so, it is possible to realize a supporter having both the moisture absorption performance of the hydrophilic fiber and the moisture divergence performance of the hydrophobic fiber, and the different properties of reducing moisture and maintaining the heat retaining function.

  Since the present invention is configured and operates as described above, it is possible to provide a heat retention supporter that can comfortably control the moisture and heat retention functions in the skin environment of the wearer. In addition, according to the present invention, it has a two-layer structure inside and outside, and absorbs moisture such as sweat due to the hydrophilicity, water absorption, and biocompatibility of the hydrophilic fiber of the inner layer, and the wearer's skin is physiologically The heat insulation effect is maintained by the hydrophobicity and divergence of the outer layer hydrophobic fibers, which may cause irritation to the wearer's skin and give a sense of incongruity. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a heat-retaining supporter that can be used comfortably even for persons with weak skin such as atopic dermatitis patients.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a heat insulating supporter 10 according to the present invention. The illustrated supporter 10 has a slightly tapered cylindrical shape, and is opened around the upper and lower openings. It has the annular parts 11 and 12 reinforced by the folding | turning of the edge part. The illustrated supporter 10 is to be worn on the lower limbs, and a curved elastic reinforcement band 13 made of a special knitted fabric is provided in a portion from the rear upper part to the front lower part. It also has a function to pressurize the muscle tendons of the lower limbs.

In the heat insulating supporter 10 of the present invention as described above, the illustrated one is knitted as a whole by flat knitting, and the portion that needs to improve stretchability is knitted by rubber knitting or tuck knitting, thereby A flexible product can be formed. The heat insulating supporter 10 of the present invention can be manufactured by a splicing knitting technique using a circular knitting machine, a flat knitting machine, and other knitting machines in the same manner as this type of supporter. Therefore, the supporter 10 of the present invention is not limited to the cylindrical shape as described above, but may be of a form that is wound around the body and worn in a sheet shape. In that case, fixing means such as a hook-and-loop fastener is provided at both ends of the sheet-type supporter and used for fixing after winding.

The yarn knitting technique with the knitting technique is knitted with an inner layer stitch 14 and an outer layer stitch 15 overlapped as shown in FIG. 2, for example. Therefore, the inner layer stitches shown in FIG. 2A and the outer layer stitches shown in FIG. B are integrated with each other. When yarns having different colors are used in the inner layer and the outer layer, a so-called reversible structure in which the colors are different inside and outside is used. Will have. For example, FIGS. 2A and 2B show this in black and white, so according to this example, the inside is black and the outside is a white supporter.

  FIG. 3 illustrates the splicing knitting technique, in which 16 is a yarn feeder through which yarn is supplied, 17 is an inner layer yarn fed from the yarn path P, and 18 is an outer layer yarn fed from the yarn path Q. , 19 denotes a knitting needle, which has a latch 19a for opening and closing the needle tip. The knitting needle 19 moves obliquely upward from the right in FIG. 3 and moves downward to the left. In the two types of yarns 17 and 18 supplied simultaneously in the process, the yarn of the yarn feeder 16 is knitted. By shifting the supply position, first the inner layer yarn 17 and then the outer layer yarn 18 are hooked so that one yarn covers the other yarn, and these two yarns are knitted at the same time, so that the two yarns on the front and back A divided two-layer structure is organized.

  In the present invention, a hydrophilic knitting yarn made of hydrophilic fibers is used for the inner layer yarn 17, and a hydrophobic knitting yarn made of hydrophobic fibers is used for the outer layer yarn 18. A hydrophilic knitting yarn (17) using hydrophilic fibers is used in the inner layer of the supporter 10, and the high heat conductivity is used to suppress moisture inside the product and an increase in skin temperature, and the outer layer is hydrophobic. A hydrophobic knitting yarn (18) using fibers is used, and heat retention performance is exhibited by utilizing a heat storage tendency due to low thermal conductivity. In addition, in the case of hydrophilic fibers with small foreign body recognition, the burden on the skin is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer fibers (EVOH fibers) are used as hydrophilic fibers, and polypropylene fibers (PP fibers) are used as hydrophobic fibers. Since the hydrophilic knitting yarn (17) of the inner layer using such EVOH fibers and the hydrophobic knitting yarn (18) of the outer layer using PP fibers overlap and are knitted in layers, FIG. 2A 1 and B having a mesh of B can be formed.

  When the heat-retaining supporter 10 of the present invention having such a configuration is worn on the body, in a non-sweat situation where sweat is not yet sweating but there is moisture due to biological activity, the wetness is comfortably controlled by the EVOH fiber of the inner layer, and low irritation The situation is that the skin surface and the environment inside the supporter in contact therewith are adjusted. Since the inner layer hydrophilic knitting yarn (17) touches the skin, the EVOH fibers in the inner layer and the air in the knitted tissue are gradually warmed by the body temperature, but the EVOH fibers forming the inner layer have a thermal conductivity. Since it is high, heat does not stop easily and a cool feeling can be obtained, and some moisture present on the skin surface in a non-sweat condition tends to easily leave the inner layer and move to the outer layer. On the other hand, a hydrophobic knitting yarn (18) is disposed in the outer layer, and the PP fiber forming the yarn has low thermal conductivity, so heat dissipation is suppressed, heat retention is maintained, and the above moisture is removed to the outside. Acts to diverge into.

  In sweating situations such as during exercise, sweat and moisture are absorbed and diffused by the hydrophilicity and water absorption of the EVOH fibers in the inner layer, thereby reducing the occurrence of stuffiness and itching due to wetness. Furthermore, PP fibers in the outer layer diverge without sucking sweat and moisture emitted from the EVOH line, so that the skin surface is kept dry and the PP fiber suppresses the cool feeling caused by the EVOH fibers. As a warming effect can be kept. Thus, in the present invention, the inner layer composed of EVOH fibers having high thermal conductivity and a cool feeling can be continuously reduced, and at the same time, the cool feeling caused by EVOH fibers can be reduced. Heat dissipation is suppressed by the low thermal conductivity of the outer layer made of PP fibers, and the warm feeling during wearing can be maintained.

  The heat-retaining supporter 10 of the present invention operates as described above, and is based on a configuration in which hydrophilic knitting yarns are arranged in the inner layer and hydrophobic knitting yarns are arranged in the outer layer. In this specification, EVOH fiber is used as the hydrophilic fiber and PP fiber is used as the hydrophobic fiber. However, these are not all, and the hydrophilic fiber includes, for example, cotton, rayon, vinylon, etc. In addition to the above, for example, polyester is known as a hydrophobic fiber. However, EVOH fiber is superior in that it exhibits excellent biocompatibility.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a heat retention supporter that can be adapted to various uses. For example, a supporter suitable for a supporter for fixing by using elastic fibers (fibers with excellent elasticity) having stronger stretchability. Can be provided. The present invention can provide a supporter according to the application as described above. In that case, the number of the hydrophilic knitting yarn and the hydrophobic knitting yarn used for the splicing knitting technique is appropriately changed. Thus, it is possible to adjust the hydrophilicity or the hydrophobicity. In other words, the hydrophilic knitting yarn is higher than the hydrophobic function of the hydrophobic knitting yarn to increase the hydrophilicity, or conversely, the hydrophilic knitting yarn is not hydrophobic using the hydrophilic fiber having a lower hydrophilic function than the hydrophobic knitting yarn. It is possible to improve the nature.

  Supporters are required to adhere to the body and keep warm, but often wear for a long time, so there is a tendency to increase skin stress due to close contact, sweat due to warming, and skin temperature to rise. It was stuffy and itchy, and the burden on the skin was great. The heat-retaining supporter of the present invention has an effect of reducing the burden on the skin and suppressing rough skin and itching of the skin, and as a result, it has been used even for those who have refrained from using the supporter until now. It has a remarkable feature that it can be opened, and in particular, the burden on the skin can be reduced not only in a non-sweat state but also in a sweat state.

It is side explanatory drawing which shows an example of the heat retention supporter which concerns on this invention. It shows the knitted structure of the supporter of the above, A is an explanatory view showing an example of the inner layer stitches, B is an example of the outer layer stitches. It is a simple explanatory view showing the spliced yarn knitting technique.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Thermal insulation supporter 11, 12 Annular part 13 Elastic reinforcement band 14 Inner layer stitch 15 Outer layer stitch 16 Yarn feed port 17 Inner layer yarn 18 Outer layer yarn 19 Knitting needle

Claims (3)

It is a heat insulation supporter,
Knitting yarn consisting of hydrophilic fibers and knitting yarn consisting of hydrophobic fibers, knitted by the splicing knitting technique, knitting yarn consisting of hydrophilic fibers is arranged in the inner layer, and knitting yarn consisting of hydrophobic fibers A heat insulating supporter having a two-layer structure in which is disposed in the outer layer. The heat retention supporter according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic fiber is made of a fiber having a hydroxyl group (OH), and the hydrophobic fiber is made of a fiber having no hydrophilic group. The heat retention supporter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer fibers (EVOH fibers) are used as hydrophilic fibers and polypropylene fibers (PP fibers) are used as hydrophobic fibers.

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