Variable-airflow cloth, sound absorbing material, and vehicular part

• US 8,501,317 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Miura, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): PIZIALI, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US12/282,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20090029620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,338 Days
• Field of Search: 442/199, 442/301, 442/311, 442/362, 442/414, 442/200, 442/303, 442/352, 442/353, 442/361, 442/364, 428/364, 428/365, 428/369, 428/370, 428/371, 428/373, 428/374
• US Class Current: 428/374
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 27/28 Means for ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/14 Air permeable, i.e. capable of being penetrated by gases waterproof and breathable A41D31/102
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 11/06 Coating with spinning solutions or melts
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 8/16 with at least one other macromolecular compound obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds as constituent
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0064 Noise dampening
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 9/00 Open-work fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/16 synthetic threads
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/507 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2321/10 polymers of unsaturated nitriles, e.g. polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylidene cyanide
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/02 polyamides D10B2331/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/04 polyesters, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate [PET]
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/041 thermoplastic; thermosetting
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/046 Shape recovering or form memory
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2913 Rod, strand, filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2915 including textile, cloth or fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2922 Nonlinear [e.g., crimped, coiled, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2924 Composite
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2925 Helical or coiled
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2929 Bicomponent, conjugate, composite or collateral fibers or filaments [i.e., coextruded sheath-core or side-by-side type]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2931 : Fibers or filaments nonconcentric [e.g., side-by-side or eccentric, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3146 : Strand material is composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3154 : Sheath-core multicomponent strand material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3976 : Including strand which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous composition, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3992 : Strand is heat shrinkable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/444 : Strand is a monofilament composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/627 : Strand or fiber material is specified as non-linear [e.g., crimped, coiled, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/629 : Composite strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/637 : Including strand or fiber material which is a monofilament composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/638 : Side-by-side multicomponent strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/641 : Sheath-core multicomponent strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/696 : Including strand or fiber material which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous compositions, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]

Abstract

Cloth, in which air permeability is variable by energization, includes: a fibrous object composed of composite fibers, each of the composite fibers including: an electrical-conductive polymeric material; and a material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material, the different material being directly stacked on the electrical-conductive polymeric material; and electrodes which are attached to the fibrous object, and energize the electrical-conductive polymeric material. Each of the composite fibers has a structure in which the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material is stacked on at least a part of a surface of the electrical-conductive polymeric material, or a structure in which either one of the electrical-conductive polymeric material and the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material penetrates the other material in a longitudinal direction. The cloth is capable of controlling the air permeability by a control factor enabling weight reduction and space saving.

Claims

1. Cloth in which air permeability is variable by energization, the cloth comprising:

a fibrous object comprising composite fibers, the composite fibers comprising;

an electrical-conductive polymeric material formed of a polymer which is electrically conductive; and

a material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material, the different material being in direct contact with the electrical-conductive polymeric material;

electrodes which are attached to the fibrous object, and through which an electric current flows to the electrical-conductive polymeric material; and

a power supply which applies the electric current to the electrical-conductive polymeric material through the electrodes,

wherein the composite fibers have a structure in which the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material is stacked on at least a part of a surface of the electrical-conductive polymeric material, or a structure in which either one of the electrical-conductive polymeric material and the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material penetrates the other material in a longitudinal direction,

wherein when the power supply applies the electric current to the electrical-conductive polymeric material, the electrical-conductive polymeric material shrinks, and the electrical-conductive polymeric material causes a length difference from the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material, and

wherein the composite fibers are arranged such that an air permeability or a sound absorption of the cloth is changed when the power supply applies the electric current.

2. The cloth according to claim 1,

wherein the composite fibers have the structure in which the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material is stacked on at least a part of the surface of the electrical-conductive polymeric material, and

each of the composite fibers is composed in such a manner that the electrical-conductive polymeric material and the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material are bonded to each other in a side-by-side type.

3. The cloth according to claim 1,

wherein the composite fibers have the structure in which either one of the electrical-conductive polymeric material and the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material penetrates the other material in the longitudinal direction, and

the structure is of a core-sheath type.

4. The cloth according to claim 1,

wherein the material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material is a resin material.

5. The cloth according to claim 4,

wherein the resin material is thermoplastic resin.

6. The cloth according to claim 1,

wherein the fibrous object is composed by bundling the composite fibers as twisted yarns.

7. The cloth according to claim 1,

wherein the fibrous object is composed of single fibers of the composite fibers.

8. The cloth according to claim 1,

wherein the fibrous object comprises fiber bundles of the composite fibers.

9. The cloth according to claim 8,

wherein the fibrous object further comprises crimped yarns composed of a material that does not contain an electrical-conductive polymer.

10. The cloth according to claim 8,

wherein each of the fiber bundles is composed in such a manner that the composite fibers are arranged on a surface layer side of the fiber bundle.

11. The cloth according to claim 8,

wherein each of the fiber bundles is composed in such a manner that the composite fibers arc arranged in a spiral shape on a surface layer side of the fiber bundle.

12. The cloth according to claim 8,

wherein the composite fibers are arranged to divide a surface of each of the fiber bundles into two to twenty equal parts of the surface on an outer circumference of the fiber bundle.

13. The cloth according to claim 8,

wherein the composite fibers occupy an area of 0.1% or more to 20% or less with respect to a total cross-sectional area of fibers composing each of the fiber bundles.

14. The cloth according to claim 8,

wherein the composite fibers occupy an area of 0.1% or more to 50% or less with respect to a total cross-sectional area of fibers composing each of the fiber bundles.

15. A sound absorbing material comprising:

the cloth according to claim 1.

16. A vehicular part comprising:

the cloth according to claim 1.

17. A vehicular part comprising:

the sound absorbing material according to claim 15.

18. Cloth in which air permeability is variable by energization, the cloth comprising:

a fibrous object comprising composite fibers, the composite fibers comprising;

an electrical-conductive polymeric fiber formed of an electrical-conductive polymeric material; and

a polymeric fiber formed of a material different from the electrical-conductive polymeric material, the polymeric fiber being in direct contact with and formed on a surface of the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber, wherein the fibrous object is allowed to shrink in response to an electrical current supplied through the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber;

electrodes which are attached to the fibrous object, and through which an electric current flows to the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber; and

a power supply which applies the electric current to the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber through the electrodes,

wherein the composite fibers have a structure in which the polymeric fiber is stacked on at least a part of a surface of the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber, or a structure in which either one of the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber and the polymeric fiber penetrates the other fiber in a longitudinal direction,

wherein when the power supply applies the electric current to the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber, the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber shrinks, and the electrical-conductive polymeric fiber causes a length difference from the polymeric fiber, and

wherein the composite fibers are arranged such that an air permeability or a sound absorption of the cloth is changed when the power supply applies the electric current.