INSULATION FABRIC, INSULATION PRODUCT USING THE SAME, AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING INSULATION FABRIC
20190313719 ยท 2019-10-17
Inventors
Cpc classification
B32B27/12
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B2553/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B2262/062
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
D06M2400/02
TEXTILES; PAPER
B32B5/26
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
D06H7/00
TEXTILES; PAPER
B32B7/05
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B2260/021
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B3/08
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B7/12
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
Provided are an insulation fabric, an insulation product, and a manufacturing method and a manufacturing device therefor. The insulation fabric includes unit cells made by cutting an insulation layer or laminated unit cells made by cutting the insulation layer and laminating the cut insulation layer with lamination sheets to prevent fine particles from passing therethrough, the unit cells or the laminated unit cells being spaced from each other; and outer cover clothes or sheets covered on tops and undersides of the unit cells or the laminated unit cells. Sections on which the outer cover clothes or sheets are laminated, without any insulation layer, are formed between the unit cells or the laminated unit cells. On the sections, the outer cover clothes or sheets come into close contact with each other to divide unit cell spaces for covering the unit cells or the laminated unit cells.
Claims
1. An insulation fabric comprising: a plurality of unit cells made by cutting an insulation layer or a plurality of laminated unit cells made by cutting the insulation layer and laminating the cut insulation layer with lamination sheets to prevent fine particles from passing therethrough, the unit cells or the laminated unit cells being spaced from each other; and outer cover clothes or sheets covered on tops and undersides of the unit cells or the laminated unit cells, wherein sections on which the outer cover clothes or sheets are laminated, without any insulation layer, are formed between the unit cells or the laminated unit cells, and on the sections, the outer cover clothes or sheets come into close contact with each other to divide unit cell spaces for covering the unit cells or the laminated unit cells, so that movements of the unit cells or the laminated unit cells are restricted between the unit cell spaces.
2. The insulation fabric according to claim 1, wherein each unit cell has a shape of a circle or a polygon under an octagon, and a width of the unit cell or a length of any one side thereof is less than 5 cm.
3. The insulation fabric according to claim 1, wherein an area where the insulation layer exists is within 50 to 99% of the entire area thereof.
4. The insulation fabric according to claim 1, wherein the insulation layer is made by impregnating a fabric (a woven fabric or non-woven fabric) with phase change aerogels to have the number of one or more layers (blanket type) or molded by mixing or coating aerogel beads or powder with a binder (polymer type).
5. The insulation fabric according to claim 1, wherein on the sections where the outer cover clothes or sheets are laminated between the unit cells or the laminated unit cells, air ventilating pores or moisture discharging pores are formed on the outer cover clothes or sheets to allow both sides of the insulation fabric to communicate with each other.
6. The insulation fabric according to claim 1, wherein the outer cover clothes or sheets and the lamination sheets are softer and more expandable than the insulation layer when bent.
7. A method for manufacturing an insulation fabric, comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of insulation layer unit cells; laminating the plurality of insulation layer unit cells with lamination sheets to keep the arrangement of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells so that fine particles do not escape from the plurality of insulation layer unit cells; and feeding outer cover clothes or sheets to the arrangement of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells laminated to cover the plurality of insulation layer unit cells, allowing at least a portion of areas between the unit cells to come into close contact with each other to prevent the unit cells from passing through the areas so that unit cell spaces in which the unit cells are located are divided.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells laminated is the same as the arrangement of the insulation layer unit cells.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of arranging the plurality of insulation layer unit cells comprises the steps of making an insulation layer fabric with an insulation material and cutting the plurality of insulation layer unit cells, while the insulation layer fabric is being continuously or step by step transferred, in such a manner as to place the insulation layer fabric on a base frame and to press the insulation layer fabric by means of a cutting mold having an unit cell arrangement to arrange the plurality of insulation layer unit cells.
10. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one step of the steps further comprises the step of feeding an adhesive sheet to tops or undersides of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells to allow the arrangement of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells to be maintained and moving the adhesive sheet attached to the plurality of insulation layer unit cells.
11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of, after the cutting step and before the lamination step, removing a remnant except the plurality of insulation layer unit cells arranged from the insulation layer fabric.
12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of, at the time when the unit cells are fixed by means of the outer cover clothes or sheets, fixing the edges of the unit cell spaces to a designed shape through computer sewing to allow the respective unit cell spaces to be fixed in position.
13. An apparatus for manufacturing an insulation fabric, comprising: a cutting part having a base frame on which an insulation layer fabric is placed and cutter blades arranged with a given unit cell pattern to cut the insulation layer fabric placed on the base frame in such a manner as to form an arrangement of a plurality of insulation layer unit cells; a laminating part for receiving the arrangement of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells from the cutting part to feed lamination sheets to the tops and undersides of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells arranged; a covering part for feeding outer cover cloths or sheets to the tops and undersides of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells laminated; and a removing part for removing a remnant except the plurality of insulation layer unit cells from the insulation layer fabric if the plurality of insulation layer unit cells arranged is transferred between the cutting part and the laminating part.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cutter blades of the cutting part are disposed on a surface of a roller, so that at the time when the insulation layer fabric is continuously moved on the base frame, the roller rotates and pressurizes the insulation layer fabric to allow the cutter blades to cut the insulation layer fabric, and the cut insulation layer fabric is pulled by means of a pair of rollers disposed on the next position of the cutting part, so that the remnant is pulled through separate means in a different direction from the advancing direction of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells through the pair of rollers and is separated from the plurality of insulation layer unit cells.
15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cutting part comprises the base frame, cutters located movable up and down above the insulation layer fabric, and an upper press frame located movable up and down above the cutters in such a manner as to pressurize the cutters when pressed, the cutters being open in areas on which the plurality of insulation layer unit cells is arranged and the underside of the upper press frame on the areas protruding downward toward the cutters, and an adhesive sheet is fed between the upper press frame and the cutters, so that if the upper press frame is pressurizedly moved down, the cutters are pressed to divide the insulation layer fabric into the plurality of insulation layer unit cells and the remnant, and the adhesive sheet is pulled by means of a pair of rollers disposed on the next position of the cutting part, while the remnant is being pulled and removed through the separate means from the base frame to allow the next section of the insulation layer fabric to be placed on the base frame.
16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the laminating part comprises at least one pair of rollers adapted to move the plurality of insulation layer unit cells in such a manner as to allow the lamination sheets to be fed from lamination sheet rolls to the tops and undersides of the plurality of insulation layer unit cells moving along the pair of rollers.
17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at the time when the upper and lower lamination sheets are attached to the plurality of insulation layer unit cells in the entire process of the laminating part, vacuum is applied from a vacuum device to allow the edge of the insulation material to be melted and laminated, and a degree of vacuum has a value between 760 to 0.2 torr.
18. An insulation product using the insulation fabric according to claim 1.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0036]
[0037]
[0038]
[0039]
[0040]
[0041]
[0042]
MODE FOR INVENTION
[0043] Hereinafter, the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
[0044]
[0045] In this case, the insulation fabric is elongated with a given width and has a plurality of circular unit cells (laminated unit cells 210) arranged in longitudinal and transverse directions therein. The circular unit cells are formed in such a manner as to allow tops and undersides of insulation layer unit cells 110 to be covered with lamination sheets, and the peripheral portions of the lamination sheets covered on the circular unit cells 210 are attached or melted to each other to form sealed portions 213, thereby preventing aerogel powder for constituting the insulation layer unit cells 210 from escaping therefrom. Further, sewing lines 330 are formed on the outer covering cloths or sheets 300 for covering the tops and undersides of the circular unit cells 210 to prevent the circular unit cells 210 from freely moving in the insulation fabric and to allow the circular unit cells 210 to be kept with a given arrangement and a given distribution density.
[0046]
[0047] First, the apparatus for manufacturing the insulation fabric according to the present invention is configured to place a cutting part on a preceding portion thereof. The cutting part has a super insulation layer blanket fabric roll 11 disposed on an insulation layer fabric mounting stand, and to place a press cutter on the next position in a stream of process to cut an insulation layer fabric 100 and thus to form an arrangement of the plurality of unit cells 110. An upper portion of the press cutter is formed of a roller type mold 13 on which cutter blades are formed as shown in
[0048] In the cutting part, the roll type insulation layer fabric 100 is unrolled and moved to the next step in a state of being flat on the base frame 15, and in this process, the roller type mold 13 is rotated to allow the cutter blades continuously disposed to have the same shapes as of the unit cells on the surface thereof to be pressed against the insulation layer fabric as shown in
[0049] Instead of the roller type mold 13, according to the present invention, a flat plate type mold 12 on which the cutter blades having the repeated pattern are formed on the underside thereof can be provided as shown in
[0050]
[0051] As shown in
[0052] As shown in
[0053] In this case, as shown in
[0054] The flat plate type upper mold of the press cutter has been explained with reference to
[0055] The insulation layer fabric after passing through the cutting part passes through a transferring part in a state of being divided into the unit cells 110 and the remnant 120. The transferring part includes a pair of transferring rollers 21 and 23 and a conveyor belt 26. The pair of transferring rollers 21 and 23 serves to hold the unit cells 110 and the remnant 120 on the opposite side to the insulation layer fabric roll 11 with respect to the press cutter and thus to move them forward. The remnant 120 passing through the pair of transferring rollers 21 and 23 is connected entirely when viewed on the plane, and the front end thereof is connected to a separate winding roller and is thus pulled downward, so that the remnant 120 is removed from the apparatus and thus recycled or thrown out. The unit cells 110 are arranged, while being separated from the remnant 120 (See
[0056] A laminating part is disposed on the end of the conveyor belt 26. At the front side of the laminating part, a pair of transferring rollers 35 is disposed to receive and transfer the insulation layer unit cells 110 placed on the conveyor belt 26 in a forward direction, and while the insulation layer unit cells 110 are being fed to the pair of transferring rollers 35, lamination sheets 200 are also fed to the pair of transferring rollers 35 from lamination sheet rolls 31 and 33 located above and under the pair of transferring rollers 35. If the insulation layer unit cells 110 pass through the pair of transferring rollers 35, accordingly, they are laminated up and down with the lamination sheets 200 (See
[0057] At this time, the surface of the pair of transferring rollers 35 is made of an expandable material, and in this state where the insulation layer unit cells 110 and the lamination sheets 200 are laminated with each other, if they are pressurized against the expandable surface of the pair of transferring rollers 35, the upper and lower lamination sheets 200 can come into close contact with each other even in portions where only they are laminated with each other. If bonding or adhesive layers are formed on the facing inner surfaces of the lamination sheets 200, the lamination sheets 200 can be bonded or attached to each other by means of their close contact, and otherwise, if the lamination sheets 200 are heated, without any formation of the bonding or adhesive layers, the lamination sheets 200 (hot-melt sheets) are melted to form sealed portions. In detail, the portions where the bonding or melting is carried out serve to seal the spaces where there are the insulation layer unit cells 110 to prevent insulation material powder from leaking from the insulation layer unit cells 110.
[0058] A second cutting part is disposed on the next position (front) of the laminating part. Like the first cutting part, a press cutter is disposed on the second cutting part, and a configuration and an operation of the press cutter on the second cutting part are similar to those in the first cutting part.
[0059] Through the second cutting part, the portions where only the lamination sheets 200 are laminated with each other are cut by means of cutter blades to allow the laminated unit cells 210 to exist in a laminated remnant 220, which makes a state as shown in
[0060] A covering part is disposed on the next position of the laminating part, while being merged with another transferring part. A transferring part of the covering part has partially similar shape and function to those of the transferring part located on the front of the cutting part. The transferring part of the covering part includes a pair of upper and lower transferring rollers 55 and 56 and an auxiliary roller 57 rotating in contact with the lower transferring roller 56 to remove the laminated remnant 220. The pair of upper and lower transferring rollers 55 and 56 transfers the laminated unit cells 210 and the laminated remnant 220 separated from each other through the second cutting part in a forward direction. The front end of the laminated remnant 220 is in advance set in such a manner as to be moved between the lower transferring roller 56 and the auxiliary roller 57 and thus removed from the arranged laminated unit cells 210. Accordingly, the arrangement of the laminated unit cells 210 remains as shown in
[0061] In the covering part, also, a roll 51, which is formed of an upper outer cover cloth 300 or sheet having an adhesive layer, is disposed above the upper transferring roller 55, so that the upper outer cover cloth 300 is fed between the upper transferring roller 55 and the lower transferring roller 56, while the laminated unit cells 210 are continuously fed therebetween. If the upper outer cover cloth 300 passes through the pair of transferring rollers 55 and 56, accordingly, it is moved forward in the state where the laminated unit cells 210 with the arrangement (as shown in
[0062] Further, a pair of rollers 58 is disposed in front of the pair of transferring rollers 55 and 56, and a roll 53, which is formed of a lower outer cover cloth 300, is fed to the pair of rollers 58. The lower outer cover cloth 300 is laminatedly bonded to the upper outer cover cloth 300 having the arrangement of the laminated unit cells 210 before the pair of rollers 58 is operated, which makes a state as shown in
[0063] As a result, the laminated unit cells 210 are laminated with the upper and lower outer cover cloths 300. In this process, if bonding or adhesive layers are formed on the inner surfaces (facing the laminated unit cells 210) of the outer cover cloths 300, the upper and lower outer cover cloths 300 can be bonded or attached to each other by means of the pairs of rollers to form the bonded or attached portions with no insulation layer unit cells, and otherwise, if the upper and lower outer cover cloths 300 are heated, they are melted to form the bonded or attached portions with no insulation layer unit cells. The process can be similarly carried out to the bonding or melting of the upper and lower lamination sheets.
[0064] Accordingly, the insulation fabric having the arrangement of the laminated unit cells 210 between the upper and lower outer cover cloths 300 is manufactured. The insulation fabric is wound on a reel to provide an insulation fabric reel 60, and the insulation fabric is used to make an insulation product through post-processing.
[0065] Even if not mentioned herein, the sewing lines 330 as shown in
[0066] In the lamination step of the above-mentioned processes, in the state where pieces of the super insulation layer blanket fabric are arranged to a desired given size, if they are laminated with the lamination sheets and pressurized against the pair of rollers, air is removed from the super insulation layer blanket fabric, and in some cases, accordingly, vacuum portions where air is formed to a desired degree of vacuum are intentionally formed through a vacuum device. In this case, the degree of vacuum has a value between 760 to 0.2 torr. At this time, if gas barrier characteristics are applied to the lamination sheets (films), the blanket fabric is swollen by means of elasticity after the lamination, and accordingly, the sealed spaces covered with the lamination sheets are swollen to exert a vacuum insulation function, thereby improving insulation performance.
[0067] In case of the aerogel blanket, especially, if polymer felt holding aerogels is heated and compressed, the aerogel blanket has substantially lower thermal conductivity than general insulation materials through the proper function of the aerogels.
[0068] If it is desired to apply the outer cover cloths or sheets fed to the covering part to the human body, the outer cover cloths or sheets have a function of discharging sweat from the body or ventilating air therethrough, so that the insulation fabric can be used to make a product like functional clothing for protecting the body from serious cold or heat.
[0069] For example, the insulation fabric according to the present invention is cut and sewn, like a general clothing fabric, to make a jacket, so that it can be used to make the insulation jacket, and otherwise, the insulation fabric according to the present invention is made to the form of an insulation container such as an ice box or bag, so that it can be used to transfer or keep a product required to be warm or cool.
[0070]
[0071] In this case, a flat plate type mold is used as an upper press frame 12 of the press cutter of the cutting part, and in addition to the upper press frame 12, an intermediate cutting frame having cutters 14 for piercing or cutting is provided. Even if a lower base frame is not illustrated, it has the same flat shape as the upper press frame 12.
[0072] The insulation layer fabric 100 is cut in the state of being placed on the lower base frame and under the cutters 14, and at this time, the cutters 14 are open in the areas surrounded with cutter blades 14a, which become the fabric unit cells. Accordingly, the tops of the fabric unit cells are exposed above the cutters 14 in a state where the insulation layer fabric 100 is cut and separated by means of the cutter blades 14a. In the cutting process, next, an adhesive sheet 200a to be attached to the tops of the insulation layer unit cells is already fed between the cutters 14 and the upper press frame 12, and even though the upper press frame 12 is generally flat, the underside of the upper press frame 12 is formed in such a manner as to allow portions corresponding to the insulation layer unit cells to protrude downward therefrom. The edge portions of the upper press frame 12 and the cutters 14 are penetratedly fitted to guide rods disposed vertically so that the upper press frame 12 and the cutters 14 can be moved up and down along the guide rods.
[0073] In this state, if the press cutter is operated, the upper press frame 12 is pressed above the adhesive sheet 200a toward the cutters 14 to allow the cutters 14 to be compressed against the insulation layer fabric 100, and the insulation layer fabric 100 is cut dividedly into the unit cells and the remnant by means of the cutter blades 14a. Moreover, the downward protruding portions 12a of the upper press frame 12 are attached to the tops of the unit cells on which the adhesive sheet 200a is cut.
[0074] If the upper press frame 12 is lifted up after cutting, accordingly, the insulation layer unit cells having a given arrangement are attached to the adhesive sheet 200a to an original height of the adhesive sheet 200a and are thus located above the cutters 14. Only the remnant of the insulation layer fabric remains on the lower base frame, and the front end of the remnant is transferred by means of a roller 23 and then removed. The adhesive sheet 200a serves to easily separate the unit cells from the remnant and stably keep the arrangement of the unit cells, without any transferring conveyor belt, at the time of next process, and further, a lower lamination sheet roll 33 is disposed under the pair of transferring rollers 35 to feed a lower lamination sheet 200b to the pair of transferring rollers 35.
[0075] As a result, the insulation layer unit cells are coveredly laminated with the upper and lower lamination sheets through the pair of transferring rollers 35. After that, post-processes are similarly carried out like the processes as shown in
[0076] Of course, if the adhesive sheet is not proper for the lamination sheet, it is removed at the pre-step of the pair of transferring rollers 35, and like
[0077] In some cases, the lamination sheets may become the outer cover sheets or clothes, and at this time, the tops and undersides of the unit cells are covered with the lamination sheets. In this state, the bonding or melting is made on the areas where the lamination sheets are laminated, without any insulation layer unit cells, to allow the cell spaces for the insulation layer unit cells to be divided into each other, so that the insulation fabric according to the present invention can be manufactured.
[0078] The insulation fabric may have various shapes and materials known in the conventional practices, but according to the present invention, the insulation fabric includes a blanket made by impregnating a fabric with phase change aerogels to have the number of layers required, a polymer molded by mixing or coating super insulation powder or beads with a polymer binder, and a super insulation polymer made of a polymer material having a super insulation foaming pad having lightness and low density pores and adequate for an ultra high temperature, an ultra low temperature, and a medium temperature.
[0079] Various synthetic films can be used as the lamination films or sheets so as to prevent insulation powder from leaking to the outside, and in some cases, the lamination films or sheets themselves can be made of materials for forming the outer covers of the insulation fabric.
[0080] The mold for cutting and dividing the insulation material can be made three dimensionally through CNC. Further, the mold has a heater disposed therein to easily perform thermal cutting and is coupled to a pressurizing device. The roll type mold or flat type mold has the cutter blades and further has the expandable members filled in the concave spaces of the underside of the mold body. Otherwise, the mold may have the concave spaces with different depths according to areas, and further, the concave spaces are formed in low depths, so that when the mold is descended to cut the insulation layer fabric, the remnant is compressed by means of pressurization and heating on the concave spaces pressing the remnant to allow the heights of the unit cells to be intentionally different from the height of the remnant.
[0081] Even though not shown and explained in detail in the embodiment of the present invention, the operating structures of the rollers or press cutters and the continuous or intermittent operating pattern thereof are diversely provided like the existing manner, and if necessary, it is possible to further have mechanical components like conveyor belts or rollers.
[0082] The surface of the pair of transferring rollers is made of a high elastic material to press or heat the sheet or fabric passing therethrough from both sides thereof, which is well known in the existing manner, and therefore, a detailed explanation on the material of the surface of the pair of transferring rollers will be avoided for the brevity of the description.
[0083] According to the present invention, as the super insulation layer is laminated with the lamination sheets, the problem that the super insulation layer becomes loose or entangled so that it is changed in position or damaged, occurring in the post-processes, can be completely solved. Accordingly, if the insulation fabric according to the present invention is used as an industrial material like a curtain, tent, and a packing material to which repeated mechanical forces or manipulations are applied, many advantages can be obtained.
[0084] When the insulation fabric according to the present invention is made by attaching or melting the outer cover sheets or cloths to a fabric selected according to functions at the time when the outer cover sheets or cloths are coupled to both sides of the lamination unit cells, non-vapor permeable and non-air permeable melted portions of the lamination sheets are removed from the functional fabric through the post-process or use, so that the characteristics of the functional fabric can be well exerted.
[0085] The areas, on which there are no insulation layer unit cells, for dividing the insulation layer unit cells through the separation of the functional fabric from the melted portions of the lamination sheets, are soft because of the non-existence of rigid materials, thereby providing easy activities for users. The cell spaces are dividable by means of the outer cover sheets or cloths, the sewing lines, bonding, and melting, so that the insulation layer unit cells are stably fixed to provide good durability at the time when they are washed, have friction, or at the time when any load is applied thereto.
[0086] The functional fabric for the outer cover includes a life form fabric like a general polyester material, cotton, and so on, an industrial fabric like a Kevlar fabric strong at a high temperature, an aramid fabric, a polyimide high temperature film, an immersion fabric, and so on, all films on which an adhesive agent can be coated for melting, and fiber materials.
[0087] While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.