JP2013019064A - Conductive fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conductive fabric which can be used as a sensor member for detecting a pressure distribution when a human body and a soft substance come in contact with the fabric, also used as an electrode and the like, has stretching properties and flexibility, and can flexibly follow an irregularity and change in shape of a human body.SOLUTION: The conductive fabric comprises: base cloth formed of a non-conductive fiber; and a plurality of conductive layers that are formed by weaving or knitting conductive fibers into the base cloth and are arranged on a surface of the base cloth so as to be isolated from each other in an island shape.

Description

  The present invention is a seat sensor for an automobile seat, a pressure distribution sensor for detecting a pressure distribution of a human body on a bed or a chair, a tactile sensor for a robot, a pressure sensor or switch for a toy, a wearable electrode or a member such as a switch. The present invention relates to a conductive fabric that can be used.

Conventionally, as a sensor member for detecting pressure, a wearable electrode, a switch, and the like, many conductive fabrics in which a conductive layer is provided in an island shape on the fabric surface have been developed.
In Patent Document 1 below, for measuring the position and range of pressure applied to a touch sensor, for a touch sensor, a piezoelectric resistance ink is discontinuously applied in a rectangular island shape on a non-conductive cloth. An intermediate member is disclosed. In addition to this, there is a technique for forming a conductive layer by post-processing such as metal vapor deposition, metal sputtering, metal plating, etc. on a base fabric made of non-conductive fibers, but in the method of forming a conductive layer by these post-processing In particular, when the base fabric has stretchability, the conductive layer may be peeled off or cracks may occur when the conductive fabric is stretched, resulting in poor durability of the conductive layer.

In addition to the surface treatment of the base fabric, a method of sewing conductive yarns into islands by embroidering on a base fabric made of non-conductive fibers can be considered, but the base fabric has elasticity in the island-like conductive layers formed by embroidery. In particular, there is a problem that the stretchability of the conductive fabric is hindered and the flexibility of the conductive layer is inferior because the conductive layer is hardened by embroidery.
As described above, a method for forming an island-shaped conductive layer that is excellent in durability and excellent in stretchability and flexibility has not yet been found, particularly in a fabric having stretchability.

Special table 2007-531142 gazette

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a conductive fabric having a conductive layer excellent in durability, stretchability and flexibility, and having an electrically conductive layer arranged in an island shape on the fabric surface.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies on the formation method of the conductive layer on the fabric surface, the configuration of the fabric base material, the area ratio of the conductive layer, etc. The present invention has been completed.
That is, the present invention is as follows.

  [1] On the surface of a base fabric made of non-conductive fibers, a plurality of conductive layers formed by knitting or weaving conductive fibers into the base fabric are island-shaped in a state where they are insulated from each other In addition, the conductive fabric disposed.

[2] The conductive layer is disposed in an island shape by a portion of the conductive layer is cut out, a conductive fabric according to the above [1].

[3] The area of the island-shaped individual conductive layers is 0.5 to ²⁰⁰ cm ^2, and the total area A (cm ² ) of the plurality of conductive layers is not formed. The conductive fabric according to [1] or [2], wherein the ratio A / B of the total area B (cm ² ) of the conductive portions is 1 to 10.

  [4] The conductive layer according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the conductive fiber is disposed in the conductive layer, but the conductive fiber is not disposed in the non-conductive portion. Conductive fabric.

  [5] The conductive fabric according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the conductive fabric has an elongation rate of 5 to 200% in a vertical and / or horizontal direction.

  The conductive fabric of the present invention is made into a conductive fabric having high stretchability and flexibility by disposing a conductive layer having excellent durability, stretchability and flexibility on the fabric surface in an island shape. Therefore, it can be suitably used as a member such as a pressure-sensitive sensor and an electrode that can flexibly follow the unevenness and deformation of the human body.

It is a schematic diagram (upper view) of the conductive fabric of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram (upper view) of the conductive fabric of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram (upper view) of the conductive fabric of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram (upper view) of the conductive fabric of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram (upper view) of the conductive fabric of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The conductive fabric of the present invention preferably has an elongation ratio of 5 to 200%, more preferably 10 to 100%, and more preferably 10 to 100% in order to follow the unevenness and deformation of the human body flexibly. Preferably it is 20 to 80%.
The elongation rate referred to in the present invention is a load of 14.7 N when the fabric is cut into a length of 5 cm and a length of 30 cm in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, the grip interval is 20 cm, and the fabric is stretched at a tensile speed of 20 cm / min. The elongation percentage of the fabric when it becomes, the following formula:
Elongation rate (%) = {(gripping interval at load of 14.7 N cm−20 cm) / 20 cm} × 100
Is calculated by

  As the fiber forming the non-conductive portion of the conductive fabric of the present invention, any non-conductive fiber can be used, but synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, polyurethane, etc. having a relatively low official moisture content. Is preferably used in order to make it less susceptible to the influence of humidity and the like. In order to impart higher stretchability to the fabric, it is preferable to use a false twisted yarn of polyester or nylon as the non-conductive fiber, or to mix polyurethane fiber. In particular, it is more preferable to use a polyurethane fiber having a function of preventing the fabric from being unwound due to heat-fusibility or the like, since it is difficult for the base fabric to be unraveled when the striped conductive layer is cut out. The fineness of these fibers is preferably 50 to 1000 dtex from the viewpoint of improving the knitting and weaving properties. In the case of polyurethane fibers, 15 to 100 dtex is preferable.

  The conductive fabric of the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of conductive layers are arranged in an island shape on the surface of a base fabric in a state of being insulated from each other. Although the shape and arrangement | positioning of an electroconductive layer are not specifically limited, In order to use as a sensor member, as shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that the electroconductive layer is arrange | positioned at the grid | lattice form. The island-shaped conductive layer and the adjacent island-shaped conductive layer must be insulated in order to detect the pressure distribution state in applications such as sensors, and no current flows even when a voltage is applied. is necessary. The electrical resistance value of the island-shaped conductive layer is detected when the local electrical resistance value of another conductive fabric in contact with the conductive fabric is lowered and used as a pressure sensor member for measuring pressure distribution. In order to improve performance, it is preferably 2 Ω / cm or less, more preferably 1 Ω / cm or less. The shape of the island can be any shape, such as a square, a rectangle, etc., a roughly diamond, a circle, a circle, a hexagon, etc. Preferably, it is square.

In conductive cloth of the present invention, the area of one island-shaped conductive layer is preferably a 0.5～200Cm ^2, more preferably 1~150cm ^2. When the area of one island-like conductive layer exceeds 200 cm ² , the conductive layer prevents the base fabric from stretching, and the overall stretchability of the fabric tends to be inferior. When one island-like conductive layer is less than 0.5 cm ^2, it becomes difficult to form the conductive layer precisely on the surface of the base fabric, and the accuracy as a sensor or electrode is inferior. Here, the ratio A / B of the total area A (cm ² ) of the plurality of conductive layers and the total area B (cm ² ) of the non-conductive portions where the conductive layers are not formed is 1 to 10. Is preferred. If A / B exceeds 10, the stretchability tends to be inhibited. On the other hand, if A / B is less than 1, the stretchability is good, but the measurement accuracy is undesirably lowered for measuring the pressure distribution. The ratio A / B is more preferably 2 to 8, and further preferably 2 to 5.

  When the conductive fabric exhibits stretchability, the nonconductive portion between the island-like conductive layers first stretches preferentially. For this reason, it is necessary that a non-conductive part exists more than a fixed ratio with respect to a conductive layer. Therefore, a preferable width of the non-conductive portion is 2 mm or more, more preferably 3 mm or more.

  The present invention is characterized in that the conductive layer is formed by weaving or weaving conductive fibers on the surface of the base fabric made of non-conductive fibers. By being a conductive layer formed by weaving or weaving conductive fibers, a conductive fabric having excellent durability and flexibility can be obtained. It is not necessary that the entire surface of the conductive layer is composed of conductive yarns, and the conductive yarns may be arranged on the base fabric like a lattice pattern so that a certain area of the conductive layers becomes the conductive layer. it can. The area ratio of the conductive fibers in the area of one island-shaped conductive layer is preferably 5 to 80%, more preferably 10 to 70%. When the area ratio of the conductive fibers is within this range, the conductive fibers do not affect the stretchability of the base fabric, and appropriate conductivity can be imparted to the entire conductive layer.

  As a method of weaving or weaving the conductive fibers only in the island-shaped region, for example, a special structure may be used in which the conductive fibers are partially knitted or weaved by a special weaving machine. However, these methods may be slightly inferior in terms of stretchability due to restrictions on the structure and fabric thickness.

  As another method, when conductive fibers are cross-knitted in a stripe shape in the length direction of the knitted fabric while forming the knitted fabric twice, the conductive fabric is electrically conductive with a certain length on the base fabric on one side of the double knitted fabric. After knitting the conductive fiber, the conductive fiber is knitted into the other base fabric with a certain length. By repeating this, conductive fibers are formed in an island shape on one side of the double knitted fabric. The double knitted fabric thus obtained is center-cut to obtain a conductive fabric in which the island-shaped conductive layer is completely insulated. In order to prevent the conductive fibers from being unraveled after the center cut, the base fabric made of non-conductive fibers is preferably a base fabric in which polyurethane fibers are knitted and woven. It is preferable to fix the conductive fiber and the non-conductive fiber.

  In order to give greater stretchability, a method of center cutting the conductive fibers after knitting the conductive fibers supplied in stripes by a double raschel knitting machine alternately to the front needle and back needle to a fixed length Is preferred. At this time, when the conductive fibers are knitted in a stripe shape, it is necessary that the conductive fibers adjacent to each other are brought into contact with each other, and therefore, the method of knitting the conductive fibers is a tricot knitting having one or more swings. An insertion knitting having a swing of one stitch or more is preferable. More specifically, a method in which conductive fibers are knitted with one or more horizontal stitches so that adjacent conductive fibers form at least a part of the same knit loop. A method in which the conductive fiber knit loops are connected in the vertical direction, a method in which one conductive fiber knit loop, a sinker loop or an insertion thread is in contact with an adjacent conductive fiber knit loop, a sinker loop or an insertion thread. It is preferable. In particular, in order to improve the recovery and durability against stretch and deformation of the fabric, adjacent conductive fibers are formed in the same knit loop, or one or more adjacent knit loops of one conductive fiber. A method in which knit loops of other conductive fibers are connected in the vertical direction is more preferable.

  These methods are excellent in terms of stretchability, etc., but it is necessary to cut the conductive fibers that have been center-cut so that they do not come into contact with other conductive layers formed in the shape of islands. Since only one of the fabrics is used, the production cost is slightly inferior.

As another method for arranging a plurality of conductive layers on the fabric surface in the form of islands on the fabric surface according to the present invention, the conductive layers are formed by arranging conductive fibers in stripes in the knitting direction of the fabric surface. And the method of forming an island-like electroconductive layer by insulating a part of formed electroconductive layer is mentioned.
First, as a method of forming the stripe-shaped conductive layer on the surface of the base fabric, it can be formed by a known method in which conductive fibers are knitted and woven in a stripe shape using a knitting machine or a loom.
The stripe width and pitch are not particularly limited, but the stripe width is preferably 5 to 500 mm, and the stripe pitch to be a non-conductive portion is preferably 2 to 100 mm. More preferably, the stripe width is 5 to 300 mm, the stripe pitch is 2 to 60 mm, and more preferably the stripe width is 5 to 150 mm, and the stripe pitch is 2 to 30 mm.

The striped conductive layer may be entirely covered with a conductive thread as shown in FIG. 2, and, for example, as shown in FIG. it can.
In order to insulate a part of the striped conductive layer, it is preferable to cut the conductive yarn at the place to be insulated. Specifically, by cutting out and removing a part of the stripe-shaped conductive layer, a conductive fabric in which the conductive layer becomes an island shape and is completely insulated is obtained. Although it does not specifically limit as a cutting method, Well-known methods, such as punching, punching, a cutting plotter, a laser cut, a heat cutter, are mentioned. The entire width of the stripe may be cut out as shown in FIG. 2, or only the portion where the conductive fibers are arranged as shown in FIG. In either case, as a result of forming a non-conductive portion having a certain width, the conductive layer is formed in an island shape. The latter method is more preferable in that the area of the cutout portion can be further reduced. In order to prevent the conductive fabric from being unwound after the cutout, it is preferable that the end face of the cutout portion of the base fabric is fixed by heat fusion by a method using laser cutting or a heat cutter.

The shape and size at the time of cutting out the conductive layer are not particularly limited as long as the properties of the fabric are not impaired. However, when stretchability is required, it is preferably as small as possible. The area ratio of the cut-out portion is to keep the ratio of the total area C (cm ² ) of the individual cut-out portions and the area D (cm ² ) of the entire fabric appropriately, and the area of one cut-out portion is 0.03 to 50 cm ² is preferable, and more preferably 0.05 to 30 cm ² . If the area of one cut-out portion exceeds 50 cm ² , the deformation becomes large when the fabric is stretched, making it difficult to use it as a sensor or an electrode. When the area of one cut-out portion is less than 0.03 cm ² , the island-shaped conductive layers may come into contact with each other when the fabric is stretched.

Here, the ratio C / D of the total area C (cm ² ) of the individual cutout portions to the area D (cm ² ) of the entire fabric is preferably 0.01 to 0.30. If C / D exceeds 0.30, the deformation tends to increase when the fabric is stretched. On the other hand, if C / D is less than 0.01, the stretchability is good. Is not preferable. The ratio C / D is more preferably 0.03 to 0.25, still more preferably 0.05 to 0.20. In particular, when conductive yarns are arranged on a base fabric like a lattice pattern and are striped, the conductive layer can be made into an island shape by cutting out only the intersection of the lattice pattern, and the area to be cut out can be reduced. This is preferable.

  In order to impart great stretchability to the conductive fabric, when the conductive fibers are knitted in a stripe shape, it is necessary that adjacent conductive fibers come into contact with each other. A tricot knitting having a swing of 1 stitch or more and an insertion knitting having a swing of 1 stitch or more are preferable. More specifically, a method in which conductive fibers are knitted with one or more horizontal stitches so that adjacent conductive fibers form at least a part of the same knit loop. A method in which the conductive fiber knit loops are connected in the vertical direction, a method in which one conductive fiber knit loop, a sinker loop or an insertion thread is in contact with an adjacent conductive fiber knit loop, a sinker loop or an insertion thread. It is preferable. In particular, in order to improve the recovery and durability against stretch and deformation of the fabric, adjacent conductive fibers are formed in the same knit loop, or one or more adjacent knit loops of one conductive fiber. A method in which knit loops of other conductive fibers are connected in the vertical direction is more preferable.

  The conductive fiber used in the present invention is a fiber in which a known metal film such as silver, copper, nickel, copper sulfide is formed on the surface of the synthetic fiber by sputtering, vapor deposition, plating, or the like, copper, stainless steel, nickel, It can be a known metal fiber such as aluminum or a known conductive polymer fiber such as polypyrrole or polyaniline. In addition, a composite yarn obtained by using elastic fibers as the core yarn and covering or twisting them with conductive fibers can increase the stretchability of the fabric itself. Although any fineness can be used as the conductive fiber, in the case of the conductive fiber mainly composed of polymer fiber, the total fineness is 30 to 1000 from the viewpoint of good conductivity and excellent knitting property. Decitex multifilaments are preferred. In the case of metal fibers, monofilaments and multifilaments having a single yarn diameter of 1 to 500 μm are preferable, but multifilaments having a single yarn diameter of 1 to 200 μm are more preferable because the knitting property is improved.

In order to prevent the conductive fabric of the present invention from being wetted by a liquid such as water or the conductive fiber from being deteriorated by corrosion or the like, at least one of the opposite surfaces (surfaces not used for electrodes or the like) of the conductive layer. The part is preferably covered with a resin. As a method of coating with a resin, it is preferable to perform resin processing such as coating processing or laminating processing on one side of the conductive fabric in order to prevent infiltration of liquid such as moisture.
The resin that covers one side of the conductive fabric is not limited, and commonly used resins can be used, for example, silicone, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, chloroprene, chlorosulfonated polyolefin, acrylic, fluorine Resins such as polyamide elastomer and polystyrene butadiene can be used.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[Example 1]
Using a tricot knitting machine (Karlmeier KS4) having 28 gauges and 4 sheets, 筬 L1 and L2 forming a non-conductive base fabric on the front side, and 筬 L3 forming a non-conductive base fabric on the back side In FIG. 4, polyurethane fiber 44 dtex was supplied all-in to L1, and polyester fiber 110 dtex 48 filament was supplied all-in to L2. In addition, the conductive fiber 167 dtex / 72 filament (Sil fiber manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Co., Ltd.) coated with silver on the surface of the heel L3 forming a conductive layer on the surface of the base fabric is supplied in 20 in 4 out, and the following The machine was knitted with the knitting organization shown in Fig. 1.
・ Knitting structure L1 筬: Denbi L2 筬: Cord L3 次 い で: Denbi Next, the obtained raw machine is scoured and dried to remove excess oil and impurities, and the shape is stabilized by heat setting, followed by laser cutting. The striped conductive layer of the knitted fabric was cut into a square shape with a size of 2 mm in length and 10 mm in width by a machine to obtain a target conductive fabric.
The obtained conductive fabric is a diagram in which a plurality of 10 mm square conductive layers with conductive fibers covering the surface of the base fabric are formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion is 2 mm in both the vertical and horizontal directions. 2 was obtained.

The obtained conductive fabric exhibited good conductivity with an electrical resistance of 0.7 Ω / cm at the conductive layer portion. This conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor (Robotics Symposia Proceedings Vol. 14th Page 211-216 March 16, 2009) jointly developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. As a result, zigzag stitching of acrylic fiber surface-coated with copper sulfide on a high stretch knit fabric and applying pressure on a 9 mm square grid made of a high resistivity sheet results in pressurization of the high resistivity sheet. The change in resistance was remarkable, and the pressure distribution detection performance was excellent. Further, the conductive fabric of Example 1 was excellent in stretchability and flexibility, and the pressure distribution could be detected well even during elongation or deformation.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[Example 2]
Using a tricot knitting machine (Karlmeier KS4) having 28 gauges and 4 sheets, 筬 L1 and L2 forming a non-conductive base fabric on the front side, and 筬 L3 forming a non-conductive base fabric on the back side In L4, polyurethane fiber 44 dtex was supplied all-in to L1, and polyester fiber 110 dtex 48 filament was supplied all-in to L2. In addition, 5 pieces of conductive fibers 167 dtex / 72 filaments (Sil fiber manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation), in which the polyester surface is coated with silver on the ridges L3 and L4 forming the conductive layer on the surface of the base fabric, are 1 in 8 out. The yarn was fed while removing the yarn at a rate of 1, and the machine was knitted with the knitting structure shown below.
・ Knitting organization L1 筬 (Back 1): Denbi L2 筬 (Back 2): Cord L3 筬 (Front 1): 8 course atlas L4 筬 (Front 2): 8 course atlas Next, the resulting raw machine is scoured and dried After removing excess oil and impurities and stabilizing the shape by heat setting, the striped conductive layer of the knitted fabric is cut into a round shape with a diameter of 5 mm by punching to obtain the desired conductive fabric It was.
In the obtained conductive fabric, a plurality of 30 mm square conductive layers with conductive fibers covering the surface of the base fabric were formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion was 7 mm in the vertical direction and 5 mm in the horizontal direction. The conductive fabric shown in FIG. 3 was obtained.

The obtained conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, when pressure was applied while superposed on the high resistivity sheet, a change in resistance at the pressurization site of the high resistivity sheet appeared remarkably, and the pressure distribution detection performance was excellent. Further, the conductive fabric of Example 2 was excellent in stretchability and flexibility, and the pressure distribution could be detected well even during elongation or deformation.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[Example 3]
Using a 28-gauge single knit circular knitting machine, polyester fiber 167 dtex 72 filaments were supplied as yarns forming a non-conductive base fabric, and the polyester surface was coated with silver as yarns forming a conductive layer. Conductive fiber 167 dtex / 72 filament (Sil fiber manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation) was supplied, and the nonconductive layer was arranged to have a width of 5 mm and the conductive layer to have a width of 20 mm. In addition, polyurethane fiber 44 dtex was knitted to give the fabric stretchability, and a living machine was knitted with a tengu structure.
Next, after opening the resulting machine, scouring and drying to remove excess oil and impurities, stabilizing the shape with a heat set, and then using a heat cutter to form a striped conductive layer of knitted fabric Cut into a square shape with a length of 20 mm and a width of 5 mm to obtain the intended conductive fabric.
The obtained conductive fabric is a diagram in which a plurality of 20 mm square conductive layers with conductive fibers covering the surface of the base fabric are formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion is 5 mm in both the vertical and horizontal directions. 4 was obtained.

The obtained conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, when pressure was applied while superposed on the high resistivity sheet, a change in resistance at the pressurization site of the high resistivity sheet appeared remarkably, and the pressure distribution detection performance was excellent. Moreover, although the conductive fabric of Example 3 was excellent in stretchability and flexibility, the pressure distribution could be detected well even during elongation and deformation.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[Example 4]
Using an air jet loom, supply a false twisted yarn of polyester fiber 84 dtex 36 filament to the yarn that forms the non-conductive base fabric as the warp, and coat the surface of the polyester with silver as the yarn that forms the conductive layer Supplied conductive fiber 84 dtex / 36 filament (Sil fiber manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation), warp warp so that the width of the non-conductive layer is 5 mm and the width of the conductive layer is 15 mm, and polyester as the weft A false twisted yarn of fiber 110 dtex 48 filaments was driven in, and a living machine was woven with a twill structure.
Next, the obtained raw machine is scoured and dried to remove excess oil and impurities, the shape is stabilized by heat setting, and then the stripe-shaped conductive layer of the knitted fabric is 5 mm long and 15 mm wide by a heat cutter. The desired conductive fabric was obtained by cutting out a rectangular shape with a size of.
The obtained conductive fabric is a diagram in which a plurality of 15 mm square conductive layers with conductive fibers covering the surface of the base fabric are formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion is 5 mm in both the vertical and horizontal directions. 5 was obtained.

The obtained conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, when pressure was applied while superposed on the high resistivity sheet, a change in resistance at the pressurization site of the high resistivity sheet appeared remarkably, and the pressure distribution detection performance was excellent. Moreover, although it was excellent in a softness | flexibility, although the elasticity was a little inferior, if it was the range which can be expanded, the pressure distribution was able to be detected favorable also at the time of expansion | extension.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[Comparative Example 1]
Using a tricot knitting machine (KS4 manufactured by KARL MAYER) with 28 gauges and 4 sheets, polyurethane fiber 44 decitex is supplied all-in to reed L1, and polyester fiber 110 dtex 48 filament is supplied all-in to reed L2. The production machine was knitted with the following knitting structure.
・ Knitting structure L1 筬: Denbi L2 次 い で: Cord Next, the obtained raw machine is scoured and dried to remove excess oil and impurities, and after heat setting to stabilize the shape, conductive resin (Fujikura Kasei) Dotite Co., Ltd. was applied discontinuously at 20 mm square islands at 5 mm intervals to obtain the intended conductive fabric.

In the obtained conductive fabric, a plurality of 10 mm square conductive layers whose base fabric surface is covered with a conductive resin are formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion is 2 mm in both the vertical and horizontal directions. The conductive fabric shown in FIG. 1 was obtained.
The obtained conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, it has pressure distribution detection performance when pressure is applied while overlapping with a high resistivity sheet, but since the conductive layer inhibits the stretchability of the fabric, it is inferior in flexibility and pressure distribution during elongation and deformation Could not be detected well.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[Comparative Example 2]
Using a tricot knitting machine (KS4 manufactured by KARL MAYER) with 28 gauges and 4 sheets, polyurethane fiber 44 decitex is supplied all-in to reed L1, and polyester fiber 110 dtex 48 filament is supplied all-in to reed L2. The production machine was knitted with the following knitting structure.
・ Knitting structure L1 デ ン: Denbi L2 コ ー ド: Cord Next, the obtained raw machine is scoured and dried to remove excess oil and impurities, stabilize the shape with a heat set, and then sputter onto the fabric surface The silver metal film was discontinuously formed into 20 mm square islands at 5 mm intervals to obtain the intended conductive fabric.
In the obtained conductive fabric, a plurality of 10 mm square conductive layers whose base fabric surface was covered with a silver metal film were formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion was 2 mm in both the vertical and horizontal directions. A conductive fabric shown in FIG. 1 was obtained.
The obtained conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, it has pressure distribution detection performance when pressure is applied while overlapping with a high resistivity sheet, but by expanding and contracting, the conductive layer formed on the surface of the fabric cracks, and the pressure distribution is reduced during elongation and deformation. It was not detected well.

[Comparative Example 3]
Using a tricot knitting machine (KS4 manufactured by KARL MAYER) with 28 gauges and 4 sheets, polyurethane fiber 44 decitex is supplied all-in to reed L1, and polyester fiber 110 dtex 48 filament is supplied all-in to reed L2. The production machine was knitted with the following knitting structure.
・ Knitting structure L1 デ ン: Denbi L2 筬: Cord Next, the obtained raw machine is scoured and dried to remove excess oil and impurities, stabilize the shape by heat setting, and then form a conductive layer As a yarn, a yarn obtained by twisting a conductive fiber 84 dtex / 36 filament (Sil fiber manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Co., Ltd.) whose surface is coated with silver as a yarn is supplied, and a 10 mm square conductive layer is applied to the fabric by one embroidery machine. A desired conductive fabric having a width of a non-conductive portion of 2 mm and having 16 rows of conductive layers in the vertical and horizontal directions was obtained.

In the obtained conductive fabric, a plurality of 10 mm square conductive layers whose base fabric surface was covered with a silver metal film were formed in a block shape, and the width of the nonconductive portion was 2 mm in both the vertical and horizontal directions. A conductive fabric shown in FIG. 1 was obtained.
The obtained conductive fabric was used as a low resistivity sheet of a tactile distribution sensor in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, it has a pressure distribution detection performance when a pressure is applied while superposed on a high resistivity sheet, but it is inferior in flexibility and stretchability.

  The conductive fabric of the present invention is a stretchable and flexible conductive fabric that can flexibly follow the unevenness and deformation of the human body, and detects the seat pressure sensor for automobile seats and the pressure distribution of the human body on a bed or chair. It can be suitably used as a member such as a pressure distribution sensor, a robot tactile sensor, a pressure sensor or switch of a toy, a wearable electrode or a switch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conductive layer 11 Conductive thread 2 Nonconductive part 3 Cut-out part

Claims (5)

  A plurality of conductive layers formed by weaving or weaving conductive fibers on the surface of a base fabric made of non-conductive fibers are arranged in islands in a state of being insulated from each other. Conductive fabric. The conductive fabric according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is arranged in an island shape by cutting out a part of the conductive layer. The area of the island-like individual conductive layers is 0.5 to ²⁰⁰ cm ^2, the total area A (cm ² ) of the plurality of conductive layers and the non-conductive portion where the conductive layers are not formed The conductive fabric according to claim 1, wherein the ratio A / B of the total area B (cm ² ) is 1 to 10.   The conductive fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conductive fiber is arranged in the conductive layer, but the conductive fiber is not arranged in the non-conductive portion. .   The conductive fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has an elongation percentage of 5 to 200% in a vertical and / or horizontal direction.

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