Fabric material with electrode wiring

Abstract

A fabric material with electrode wiring comprising: a fabric material body; an electrode portion provided on the surface or inside of the fabric material body and including a conductive linear body; and a wiring portion provided on the surface or inside of the fabric material body adjacent to the electrode portion and including a conductive linear body, wherein at least one conductive linear body included in the electrode portion and at least one conductive linear body included in the wiring portion are the same conductive linear body.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fabric material with electrode wiring. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, fabric materials used in wearable devices such as biosignal measuring instruments have been, for example, fabric materials equipped with electrode parts for contact with a living body or for connecting to a sensor, and wiring parts connected to the electrode parts (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2017-70599 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a fabric material having an electrode portion and a wiring portion, the electrode portion and the wiring portion are provided separately and connected by a connection material (solder, conductive paste, etc.) or a connection member (caulking, connector, etc.).

[0005] In particular, when a biological contact electrode portion is provided on a fabric material, the biological contact electrode portion needs to be exposed, while the wiring portion needs to be covered with an insulating material for insulation, so there is a tendency to adopt a configuration in which the electrode portion and the wiring portion are made separately and connected with a connecting material or connecting member.

[0006] Therefore, repeated deformation (e.g., twisting, bending, stretching, etc.) of the fabric material can deteriorate the connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion. Specifically, for example, when the electrode portion and the wiring portion are connected by a connecting material or connecting member, repeated deformation of the fabric material can cause cracks in the connecting material or connecting member. As the deterioration of the connection progresses, poor connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion occurs.

[0007] In addition, a structure in which the conductive linear body included in the electrode portion and the conductive linear body included in the wiring portion are connected by a connecting member is more durable against repeated deformation of the fabric material than a structure in which the connections are made by a connecting material, but the flexibility of the connection portion is inferior, reducing its useful value as a flexible fabric material.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fabric material with electrode wiring that has the flexibility of a fabric material while suppressing poor connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion due to repeated deformation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The above problems can be solved by the following means.

[0010] <1> A fabric body; an electrode portion provided on a surface or inside the fabric material body and including a conductive linear body; a wiring portion provided adjacent to the electrode portion on a surface or inside the fabric material body and including a conductive linear body; and A fabric material with electrode wiring, wherein at least one conductive linear member included in the electrode portion and at least one conductive linear member included in the wiring portion are the same single conductive linear member. <2> Has elasticity <1> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to claim 1. <3> The rate of change in resistance of the wiring portion when the fabric material with electrode wiring is stretched to 50% of the maximum stretch is 10% or less compared to the resistance of the wiring portion before stretching the fabric material with electrode wiring. <2> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to claim 1. <4> In the electrode portion, a part of the conductive linear body is bound by a thread of the fabric body. <1> ~ <3> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to any one of the above items. <5> In the electrode portion, the conductive linear member is woven, knitted, or embroidered into the fabric body, or the electrode portion is sewn with the conductive linear member. <4> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to claim 1. <6> The electrode portion is provided on the surface of the fabric body. <1> ~ <5> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to any one of the above items. <7> The electrode part is a living body contact electrode part. <6> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to claim 1. <8> In the wiring portion, a part of the conductive linear body is bound by a thread of the fabric material body. <1> ~ <7> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to any one of the above items. <9> In the wiring portion, the conductive linear body is woven, knitted, or embroidered into the fabric body, or the wiring portion is sewn with the conductive linear body. <8> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to claim 1. <10> The wiring portion is provided inside the fabric material body. <1> ~ <9> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to any one of the above items. <11> The conductive linear members included in the electrode portion and the wiring portion are conductive linear members including carbon nanotube yarns. <1> ~ <10> The fabric material with electrode wiring according to any one of the above items. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a fabric material with electrode wiring that has the flexibility of a fabric material and suppresses poor connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion due to repeated deformation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view showing an electrode wiring-equipped fabric material according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a fabric material with electrode wiring according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a fabric material with electrode wiring according to the present embodiment, in which conductive linear members are woven. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a conductive linear body knitted into a fabric material with electrode wiring according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an electrode wiring-equipped fabric material according to the present embodiment, in which conductive linear members are embroidered. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of a fabric material with electrode wiring according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a second modified example of the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment that is an example of the present disclosure will be described in detail. In this specification, components having substantially the same functions are given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant explanations may be omitted. A numerical range using "~" means that the numerical values ​​before and after "~" are included as the minimum and maximum values, respectively. In numerical ranges described in stages, the upper or lower limit value described in one numerical range may be replaced with the upper or lower limit value of another numerical range described in stages. Furthermore, in the numerical ranges described in the present disclosure, the upper or lower limit value of the numerical range may be replaced with a value shown in the examples. The term "process" includes not only an independent process but also a process that cannot be clearly distinguished from other processes as long as the intended purpose of the process is achieved.

[0014] The fabric material with electrode wiring in this embodiment has a fabric material main body, an electrode portion which is provided on the surface or inside the fabric material main body and includes a conductive linear body, and a wiring portion which is provided on the surface or inside the fabric material main body adjacent to the electrode portion and includes a conductive linear body. The at least one conductive linear member included in the electrode portion and the at least one conductive linear member included in the wiring portion are the same single conductive linear member. In addition, the term "same single conductive linear body" also includes a linear body in which the ends of the conductive linear body are joined by tying or twisting without using any connecting material (solder, conductive paste, etc.) or connecting member (crimping, connector, etc.) other than the linear body.

[0015] In the fabric material with electrode wiring according to this embodiment, at least one conductive linear member included in the electrode portion and at least one conductive linear member included in the wiring portion are the same conductive linear member. In other words, since the electrode portion and the wiring portion are connected by the same conductive linear member, deterioration of the connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion due to repeated deformation of the fabric material (e.g., twisting, bending, stretching, etc.) is suppressed. As a result, poor connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion is suppressed. Furthermore, the flexibility of the fabric material is maintained.

[0016] Here, the "fabric material body" refers to the fabric material on which the conductive linear members are to be provided.

[0017] "The electrode portion or wiring portion is provided on the surface of the fabric material main body" means that the electrode portion or wiring portion (i.e., the conductive linear member) is provided on the fabric material layer (including the fabric material layer that partially constitutes the front and back surfaces) that constitutes the front and back surfaces of the fabric material main body. In other words, "the electrode portion or wiring portion is provided on the surface of the fabric material main body" means that the electrode portion or wiring portion (i.e., the conductive linear member) is provided in a state where at least a portion of the conductive linear member that constitutes the electrode portion and wiring portion is exposed from the fabric material main body.

[0018] "The electrode portion or wiring portion is provided inside the fabric material body" means that the electrode portion or wiring portion (i.e., conductive linear body) is provided in the inner layer of the fabric material body, for example, in or between the fabric material layers that form the inner layer of the fabric material body.

[0019] The phrase "at least one conductive linear body included in the electrode portion and at least one conductive linear body included in the wiring portion are the same conductive linear body" means that the wiring portion includes a conductive linear body that is an extension of at least one conductive linear body included in the electrode portion (in other words, the electrode portion includes a conductive linear body that is an extension of at least one conductive linear body included in the wiring portion).

[0020] An example of a fabric material with electrode wiring according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring according to this embodiment includes, for example, a fabric material body 10, an electrode portion 20, and a wiring portion 30. As shown in FIGS.

[0022] (Cloth body) The fabric material body 10 is composed of three fabric material layers, for example, a surface fabric material layer 10A that forms the surface, a back fabric material layer 10B that forms the back surface, and an intermediate fabric material layer 10C that is located between the surface fabric material layer 10A and the back fabric material layer 10B. The fabric material body 10 may be configured with, for example, one, two, four or more fabric material layers other than three fabric material layers. In addition, the multi-layered fabric material body 10 made up of two or more fabric material layers may be produced, for example, by producing each fabric material layer and then sewing them together, or the multi-layered fabric material body 10 may be produced all at once using a weaving and knitting machine.

[0023] A typical example of the fabric material body 10 is a woven or knitted fabric. The fabric material body 10 may also be a nonwoven fabric. Examples of woven and knitted fabrics include plain weave, twill weave, satin weave, and known applied weave fabrics; and weft knitting, warp knitting, lace knitting, and known applied knitting fabrics.

[0024] The threads (linear bodies) constituting the fabric material body 10 are insulating threads. Insulating threads have a linear resistance of 1.0×10 6 The linear resistance of insulating yarn is measured in the same way as the linear resistance of conductive linear bodies, which will be described later.

[0025] Examples of the threads (linear bodies) that make up the fabric material body 10 include threads of well-known fibers. The known fiber threads may be synthetic fiber threads or natural fiber threads. Examples of synthetic fiber yarns include polyurethane fibers, polyester fibers (polyalkylene terephthalate fibers, polyarylate fibers, etc.), polyamide fibers (nylon 6 fibers, nylon 66 fibers, nylon 46 fibers, etc.), aromatic polyamide fibers (copolymers of paraphenylene terephthalamide and aromatic ethers, etc.), vinylon fibers, polyvinyl chloride fibers, polyolefin fibers (rayon fibers, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, etc.), polyoxymethylene fibers; sulfone fibers (paraphenylene sulfone fibers, polysulfone fibers, etc.), polyether ether ketone fibers, polyetherimide fibers, polyimide fibers, and the like. Examples of natural fiber yarns include cotton, silk, hemp, wool, and the like.

[0026] Here, it is preferable that the main fabric material 10 is a stretchable fabric material. In other words, it is preferable that the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring has stretchability. In particular, if the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring has stretchability, repeated stretching can deteriorate the connection between the electrode section 20 and the wiring section 30, making it more likely that a connection failure will occur. However, by adopting the configuration of the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring according to this embodiment, connection failure between the electrode section 20 and the wiring section 30 can be suppressed.

[0027] The stretchable fabric material body 10 can be realized by applying a woven or knitted fabric that uses elastic yarn. Examples of elastic yarns include covered yarns (single covered yarns or double covered yarns) in which a non-elastic yarn is wound in a coil shape around the outer periphery of an elastic yarn, core spun yarns in which an elastic yarn and a non-elastic yarn are spin-twisted, air-entangled covered yarns in which a non-elastic yarn is wound around the outer periphery of an elastic yarn using a compressed air nozzle, and twisted yarns in which an elastic yarn and a non-elastic yarn are twisted together. Examples of elastic yarns include yarns of fibers exhibiting rubber-like elasticity, such as polyurethane elastic fibers, polyester elastic fibers, and polyamide elastic fibers. Examples of inelastic yarns include yarns made of synthetic fibers (polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, polypropylene fibers, rayon fibers) and natural fibers (cotton, silk, hemp, wool, and the like).

[0028] (electrode and conductive parts) The electrode section 20 has a first electrode section 20 A and a second electrode section 20 B. One or three or more electrode sections 20 may be provided depending on the purpose.

[0029] Here, for example, when the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring is used in a wearable device such as a biosignal measuring instrument, at least one of the electrode units 20 is preferably an electrode unit for contacting a living body. Specifically, for example, among the electrode units 20, the first electrode unit 20A is the electrode unit for contacting a living body, and the second electrode unit 20B is the electrode unit for connecting to other devices (for connecting to a transmitting device, an external device, etc.). The first electrode unit 20A is not limited to being the electrode unit for contacting a living body, and may also be the electrode unit for connecting to a sensor. Furthermore, three or more electrode units 20 may be provided, and two or more of the three or more electrode units 20 may be both the electrode unit for contacting a living body and the electrode unit for connecting to a sensor.

[0030] The electrode section 20 is provided on the surface fabric layer 10A of the fabric body 10. In other words, the electrode section 20 is provided on the surface of the fabric body 10. The electrode section 20 may be provided in the intermediate fabric layer 10C of the fabric material body 10. In other words, the electrode section 20 may be provided inside the fabric material body 10.

[0031] Here, for example, the electrode portion for biological contact (i.e., the conductive linear body 40 constituting the electrode portion for biological contact) needs to be exposed from the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring. On the other hand, the electrode portion for connecting a sensor and the electrode portion for connecting other devices (for connecting a transmitting device, connecting an external device, etc.) (i.e., the conductive linear body 40 constituting the electrode portion for connecting a sensor and the electrode portion for connecting other devices) do not need to be exposed from the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring. This is because even if the electrode portion for connecting a sensor and the electrode portion for connecting other devices are provided inside the fabric material main body 10, they can be connected using pin-shaped electrodes, etc.

[0032] On the other hand, one wiring portion 30 is provided adjacent to the first electrode portion 20A and the second electrode portion 20B. That is, one wiring portion 30 is provided so as to connect the first electrode portion 20A and the second electrode portion 20B. Two or more wiring portions 30 may be provided depending on the number of electrode portions 20.

[0033] The wiring portion 30 is provided inside the fabric material body 10. Specifically, for example, the wiring portion 30 is provided in an intermediate fabric material layer 10C, which is an inner fabric material layer (including a fabric material layer that is a partial inner layer) of the fabric material body 10 made up of three fabric material layers, so that the wiring portion 30 can be provided inside the fabric material body 10. Also, for example, a conductive linear member 40 that becomes the wiring portion 30 may be provided between the fabric material layers of the fabric material body 10 made up of two fabric material layers. The wiring section 30 may be provided on the surface of the fabric material body 10. For example, the wiring section 30 may be provided on the front fabric material layer 10A or the back fabric material layer 10B of the fabric material body 10 which is made up of three fabric material layers. However, from the viewpoint of insulating the fabric material body 10 from the outside, it is preferable to provide the wiring section 30 inside the fabric material body 10.

[0034] In the electrode section 20 and / or the wiring section 30, at least a portion of the conductive linear body 40 is restrained by the thread of the fabric material main body 10. This configuration is preferable from the viewpoint that the conductive linear body 40, which functions as the conductive material of the electrode section 20 or the wiring section 30, can also be used as a means for fixing the electrode section 20 or the wiring section 30 to the fabric material main body 10. The conductive linear body 40 restrained in the fabric material main body 10 may be the same conductive linear body 40 included in both the electrode section 20 and the wiring section 30, or may be a different conductive linear body 40 included in only one of the electrode section 20 or the wiring section 30. Note that in the electrode section 20 or the wiring section 30, the conductive linear body 40 does not have to be restrained by the thread of the fabric material main body 10. For example, if the electrode portion 20 or the wiring portion 30 is fixed to the main fabric material 10 with adhesive, or if the electrode portion 20 or the wiring portion 30 is sewn to the main fabric material 10 with insulating thread, the electrode portion 20 or the wiring portion 30 can be fixed to the main fabric material 10 even if the conductive linear body 40 is not restrained by the thread of the main fabric material 10.

[0035] For example, a rectangular region is formed by repeatedly bending or curving the conductive linear body 40 through 180°. This rectangular region is formed by constraining a part of the conductive linear body 40 to the threads of the surface fabric material layer 10A of the fabric material body 10. This rectangular region then becomes the planar electrode portion 20. The region in which the conductive linear body 40 is arranged in a spiral shape may be the electrode section 20. Also, the conductive linear body 40 may be arranged in a bent or curved shape to have any surface shape (polygonal, circular, etc.) as the electrode section 20.

[0036] On the other hand, the conductive linear members 40 of the electrode units 20 (first electrode unit 20A and second electrode unit 20B) are extended in a wavy shape between the electrode units 20 to form a wavy region. The wavy region is formed by constraining part of the conductive linear members 40 to the yarn of the intermediate fabric material layer 10C of the fabric material body 10. The wavy region is then made into the wiring unit 30. The linear region in which the conductive linear bodies 40 are arranged in a linear shape may be the wiring section 30. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing poor connection between the electrode section 20 and the wiring section 30 due to elongation of the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring, it is preferable that the wiring section 30 be a wavy region (i.e., a region in which the conductive linear bodies 40 are arranged in a wavy shape).

[0037] Specifically, when the fabric material main body 10 is a woven fabric, it is preferable to form the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30 by weaving the conductive linear body 40 into the weave of the fabric woven with warp and weft threads, as shown in Figure 3, from the viewpoint that the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30 can be formed simultaneously when the fabric material main body 10 is formed from woven fabric, and from the viewpoint of improving the integrity of the fabric material main body 10, electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30.

[0038] When the fabric main body 10 is a knitted fabric, as shown in Fig. 4, it is preferable to form the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30 by knitting the conductive linear members 40 in the above-mentioned shape into the knitted structure of the knitted fabric into which loop-shaped yarns have been knitted. This is because the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30 can be formed simultaneously when the fabric main body 10 is knitted, and it also improves the integrity of the fabric main body 10, electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30. When knitting the conductive linear members 40 into the mesh structure of the knitted fabric, for example, slip knitting, plating knitting, inlay knitting, etc. can be used. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the conductive linear members 40 are knitted using inlay knitting.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, it is preferable to embroider conductive linear bodies 40 in the above-described shape onto the fabric body 10 to form the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30, since this allows the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30 to be fixed to the fabric body 10 at the same time as forming the electrode section 20 and / or wiring section 30. Known stitches such as running stitch, coating stitch, backstitch, chain stitch, and outline stitch can be used as the embroidery technique. Fig. 5 shows an example of embroidering conductive linear bodies 40 using chain stitch.

[0040] In addition, it is preferable to sew and fix the electrode portion 20 and / or wiring portion 30 to the fabric material main body 10 with a conductive linear body 40, from the viewpoint that the conductive linear body 40 constituting the electrode portion 20 and / or wiring portion 30 and the conductive linear body 40 fixing the electrode portion 20 and / or wiring portion 30 can be made to be the same. For example, an embodiment in which the electrode portion 20 and / or the wiring portion 30 are sewn and fixed with the conductive linear body 40 includes an embodiment in which the electrode portion 20 and the wiring portion 30 are continuously formed from a woven fabric into which the conductive linear body 40 is woven or a knitted fabric into which a conductive linear body is knitted, and the electrode portion 20 and the wiring portion 30 are sewn to the fabric material main body 10 with the conductive linear body 40.

[0041] In Fig. 3, 12 denotes warp yarns that make up the fabric material body 10 (woven fabric), and 14 denotes weft yarns that make up the fabric material body 10 (woven fabric). In Fig. 4, 16 denotes yarns that make up the fabric material body 10 (woven fabric).

[0042] The electrode section 20 and the wiring section 30 may be configured with one same conductive linear body 40, or may be configured with two or more same conductive linear bodies. Furthermore, the electrode portion 20 and the wiring portion 30 may each be composed of a plurality of conductive linear bodies 40. However, among the plurality of conductive linear bodies 40, at least one conductive linear body 40 is a conductive linear body 40 that constitutes both the electrode portion 20 and the wiring portion 30.

[0043] Furthermore, when there are multiple electrode units 20, at least one conductive linear body included in at least one electrode unit 20 and at least one conductive linear body included in the wiring unit 30 provided adjacent thereto are considered to be the same single conductive linear body 40.

[0044] In addition, when elastic yarn is used as the yarn that constitutes the fabric material main body 10, it is preferable to weave or knit the conductive linear body into the fabric material main body 10 while forming a woven or knitted fabric with the elastic yarn in a stretched state.

[0045] (Conductive linear body) The conductive linear bodies constituting the electrode section 20 and the wiring section 30 are not particularly limited as long as they are conductive, and examples thereof include linear bodies including metal wires, linear bodies including conductive threads, etc. The conductive linear body 40 may be a linear body including metal wires and conductive threads (such as a linear body in which metal wires and conductive threads are twisted together).

[0046] Both the linear body including a metal wire and the linear body including a conductive thread have high conductivity and high electrical conductivity, so when used as the conductive linear body 40, it becomes easy to reduce the resistance of the electrode portion 20 and the wiring portion 30.

[0047] Examples of metal wires include wires containing metals such as copper, aluminum, tungsten, iron, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, silver, and gold, or alloys containing two or more metals (for example, steels such as stainless steel and carbon steel, brass, phosphor bronze, zirconium-copper alloys, beryllium copper, iron-nickel, nichrome, nickel-titanium, Kanthal, Hastelloy, and rhenium-tungsten). Furthermore, the metal wire may be plated with tin, zinc, silver, nickel, chromium, nickel-chromium alloys, solder, or the like, or may be surface-coated with a carbon material or polymer, as described below.

[0048] The metal wire may be coated with a carbon material, which inhibits metal corrosion.

[0049] Examples of carbon materials that can be used to coat the metal wire include amorphous carbon such as carbon black, activated carbon, hard carbon, soft carbon, mesoporous carbon, and carbon fiber; graphite; fullerene; graphene; and carbon nanotubes.

[0050] On the other hand, the linear body containing conductive thread may be a linear body made of a single conductive thread, or may be a linear body made of multiple twisted conductive threads. It may also be a linear body made of twisted conductive thread and insulating thread. A linear body containing conductive thread has the advantage of being more flexible than a linear body containing metal wire, and is less likely to break when woven, knitted, or embroidered into the fabric material body 10, or when sewn into the fabric material body 10. Examples of conductive yarns include yarns containing conductive fibers (metal fibers, carbon fibers, ion-conductive polymer fibers, etc.), yarns containing conductive microparticles (carbon nanoparticles, etc.), yarns whose surfaces are plated or vapor-deposited with metals (copper, silver, nickel, etc.), and yarns impregnated with metal oxides.

[0051] As a linear body containing a conductive thread, a linear body containing a thread (carbon nanotube thread) containing carbon nanotubes as carbon nanoparticles (hereinafter also referred to as a "carbon nanotube linear body") is particularly suitable.

[0052] Carbon nanotube linear bodies can be obtained, for example, by drawing carbon nanotubes into a sheet from the end of a carbon nanotube forest (a growth in which multiple carbon nanotubes are grown on a substrate so as to be aligned perpendicular to the substrate; sometimes referred to as an "array"), bundling the drawn carbon nanotube sheets, and then twisting the bundles of carbon nanotubes. In this production method, if no twist is applied during twisting, ribbon-shaped carbon nanotube linear bodies are obtained, whereas if twist is applied, thread-shaped carbon nanotube linear bodies are obtained. Ribbon-shaped carbon nanotube linear bodies are linear bodies that do not have a structure in which a collection of multiple carbon nanotubes is twisted. Alternatively, carbon nanotube linear bodies can be obtained by spinning a carbon nanotube dispersion. Carbon nanotube linear bodies can be produced by spinning, for example, by the method disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication US 2013 / 0251619 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-253140). From the viewpoint of obtaining uniformity in the diameter of the linear carbon nanotubes, it is desirable to use linear carbon nanotubes in a thread form, and from the viewpoint of obtaining linear carbon nanotubes with high purity, it is preferable to obtain linear carbon nanotubes in a thread form by twisting a carbon nanotube sheet. The linear carbon nanotubes may be a linear body formed by twisting two or more linear carbon nanotubes together.

[0053] The carbon nanotube linear body may be a linear body (hereinafter also referred to as a "composite linear body") that includes carbon nanotubes and a conductive material other than carbon nanotubes, such as a metal, a conductive polymer, graphene, etc. The composite linear body tends to improve the conductivity of the linear body while maintaining the above-mentioned characteristics of the carbon nanotube linear body.

[0054] Examples of composite linear bodies include linear bodies containing carbon nanotubes and metals, such as: (1) a composite linear body in which a metal or a metal alloy is supported on the surface of a forest, sheet, or bundle of carbon nanotubes, or twisted linear body by vapor deposition, ion plating, sputtering, wet plating, or the like, during the process of obtaining a carbon nanotube linear body by drawing carbon nanotubes from the end of a carbon nanotube forest into a sheet, bundling the drawn carbon nanotube sheets, and then twisting the carbon nanotube bundles; (2) a composite linear body in which bundles of carbon nanotubes are twisted together with linear bodies of a metal or a metal alloy, or a composite linear body; and (3) a composite linear body in which linear bodies of a metal or a metal alloy, or a composite linear body, are twisted together with carbon nanotube linear bodies or composite linear bodies. In the composite linear body of (2), a metal may be supported on the carbon nanotubes when twisting the bundles of carbon nanotubes, as in the composite linear body of (1). Furthermore, the composite linear body of (3) is a composite linear body in which two linear bodies are woven together, but it may also be a composite linear body in which three or more carbon nanotube linear bodies, or linear bodies of a single metal or a metal alloy, or composite linear bodies are woven together, as long as it contains at least one linear body of a single metal or a metal alloy, or composite linear body. Examples of metals for the composite linear body include simple metals such as gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, chromium, tin, and zinc, and alloys containing at least one of these simple metals (such as copper-nickel-phosphorus alloys and copper-iron-phosphorus-zinc alloys).

[0055] Among these conductive linear bodies 40, conductive linear bodies containing carbon nanotube yarns (particularly, conductive linear bodies containing only carbon nanotube yarns, or conductive linear bodies containing carbon nanotube yarns and non-metallic conductive materials) are preferred. For example, threads whose surfaces are plated or vapor-deposited with metal (copper, silver, nickel, etc.) or threads impregnated with metal oxides are prone to cracking in the metal or metal oxide when stretched repeatedly, resulting in low durability. In contrast, carbon nanotube linear bodies have strong resistance to bending, and the resistance value of the wiring portion is less likely to change even when the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring is stretched repeatedly. Carbon nanotube linear bodies also have the advantage of being highly corrosion-resistant.

[0056] Here, the line resistance of the conductive linear body 40 is 5.0×10 -3 Ω / cm~1.0×10 3 Ω / cm is preferred, 1.0×10 -2 Ω / cm~5.0×10 2 Ω / cm is more preferred.

[0057] The linear resistance of the conductive linear body 40 is measured as follows: First, silver paste is applied to both ends of the conductive linear body 40, and the resistance between the silver pastes is measured to find the resistance value (unit: Ω) of the conductive linear body 40. The obtained resistance value is then divided by the distance (cm) between the silver pastes to calculate the linear resistance of the conductive linear body 40.

[0058] (Other characteristics) The rate of change in resistance of the wiring section 30 when the electrode-wired fabric material 100 is stretched to 50% of its maximum stretch relative to the resistance of the wiring section 30 before stretching is preferably 10% or less (preferably 5% or less).

[0059] Note that, when the wiring section 30 to be measured has only one electrode section 20 arranged in common with one conductive linear body 40 at one end thereof, the resistance of the wiring section 30 means the resistance between the electrode section 20 and the other end of the wiring section 30 (the end of the wiring section 30 not adjacent to the electrode section 20). In this case, the extension direction of the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring is the extension direction of an imaginary line connecting the center of one electrode section 20 and the other end of the wiring section 30. Furthermore, when the wiring section 30 to be measured has two electrode sections 20 (e.g., a first electrode section 20A and a second electrode section 20B) that share the same conductive linear body 40 and are arranged at both ends, the resistance of the wiring section 30 refers to the resistance between the two electrode sections 20. In this case, the extension direction of the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring is the direction in which an imaginary line connecting the centers of the two electrode sections 20 extends.

[0060] A low resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30 increases the operational stability of a stretchable device such as a wearable device (such as a biosignal measuring device) in response to the stretching of the fabric material. From the viewpoint of increasing the operational stability of the device even in applications where the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring is stretched to a large extent, the resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30 when the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring is stretched to its maximum stretch is preferably 10% or less (preferably 5% or less). To keep the resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30 at 50% elongation of the maximum elongation or at maximum elongation to 10% or less, this can be achieved, for example, by using an elastic yarn as the yarn constituting the fabric material main body 10 as described above, and weaving or knitting the conductive linear body into the fabric material main body 10 while forming a woven or knitted fabric in a stretched state of the elastic yarn.

[0061] The resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30 is measured as follows. While continuously measuring the resistance of the wiring portion 30, the portion of the electrode-wired fabric material 100 corresponding to the wiring portion is stretched to its maximum extension at a speed of 1 mm / s, and then contracted at the same speed until it returns to its original state. At this time, the resistance value RA (Ω) of the wiring portion 30 before the electrode-wired fabric material 100 is stretched, and the resistance value RB (Ω) of the wiring portion 30 when the electrode-wired fabric material 100 is stretched to a predetermined degree of extension (for example, 50% of the maximum extension or the maximum extension (100%)) are measured. Then, the resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30 is calculated by the formula: resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30=(RB-RA) / RA×100. Note that the resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30 is an absolute value.

[0062] Here, the maximum extension of the electrode wire-equipped fabric material 100 is defined as follows. The maximum extension of the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 is the length at which the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 cannot be extended any further when stretched with an appropriate tension. In other words, the maximum extension of the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 is the length at which the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 is extended with a tension at which extension stops.

[0063] (Variation) The electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 according to this embodiment is not limited to the above-described form, and may be modified or improved. Modified examples of the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 according to this embodiment will be described below. In the following description, if the components of the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 according to this embodiment are the same as those described in the above-described form, the same reference numerals will be used in the drawings, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0064] -First modified example- The fabric material 100 with electrode wiring according to this embodiment may be, for example, a fabric material 101 with electrode wiring shown in Fig. 6. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the fabric material 101 with electrode wiring has a triple-layered fabric material body 10 including a surface fabric material layer 10A, an intermediate fabric material layer 10C, and a back fabric material layer 10B. The intermediate fabric material layer 10C is provided with both electrode sections 20 (first electrode section 20A and second electrode section 20B) including conductive linear members 40, and wiring sections 30 including conductive linear members 40 extending from the conductive linear members 40 included in the electrode sections 20. Only the wiring sections 30 provided in the intermediate fabric material layer 10C are covered with the surface fabric material layer 10A.

[0065] -Second modified example- The fabric material 100 with electrode wiring according to this embodiment may be, for example, a fabric material 102 with electrode wiring shown in Fig. 7. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the fabric material 100 with electrode wiring has a plurality of first electrode portions 20A among the electrode portions 20. Note that Fig. 7 shows an embodiment in which the first electrode portions 20A include two electrode portions, a first electrode portion 20A-1 and a first electrode portion 20A-2. In this embodiment, for example, the same conductive linear body 40A is commonly arranged for the first electrode portion 20A-1, the wiring portion 30, and the second electrode portion 20B, and the same conductive linear body 40B is commonly arranged for the first electrode portion 20A-2, the wiring portion 30, and the second electrode portion 20B.

[0066] (Application) The electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 can be used in wearable devices such as biosignal measuring instruments. For example, the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 with a predetermined device attached thereto may be cut and processed to form clothing with a wearable device. Alternatively, the electrode wiring-equipped fabric material 100 cut to a predetermined size may be attached to clothing. The electrode wiring fabric material 100 can also be used for non-wearable biomedical devices (sensors, etc.) that are not intended for clothing, carpets, curtains, cushion covers, bedding textiles, fabrics for tents and tarps, etc. [Example]

[0067] The present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, although the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0068] [Example 1] A multi-walled carbon nanotube forest was formed on a silicon wafer. A carbon nanotube ribbon was drawn from the side of the carbon nanotube forest and twisted to obtain a carbon nanotube yarn with a diameter of 30 μm. Eight of these carbon nanotube yarns were twisted together to obtain a single twisted carbon nanotube yarn.

[0069] Meanwhile, elastic threads (stretchable threads) made of polyester-covered polyurethane fibers were stretched and knitted into a double-layered fabric. During the knitting process, twisted carbon nanotube threads were woven between the two layers of fabric in a generally linear fashion, advancing in the direction of the fabric's weaving. The area where this wavy carbon nanotube thread was woven was used as the wiring section. Furthermore, at both ends of the carbon nanotube yarn woven in a substantially straight line in the weaving direction of the fabric material, the same carbon nanotube yarn as the woven carbon nanotube yarn was repeatedly bent and woven into a quadrangular shape on the same surface (surface fabric layer) of the fabric material. The regions where this quadrangular carbon nanotube yarn was woven were designated as the living body contact electrode part (first electrode part) and the device connection electrode part (second electrode part), respectively.

[0070] Through the above steps, a fabric material with electrode wiring (see Figure 1) was obtained. The properties of the obtained fabric material are as follows:

[0071] -Characteristics of electrode wiring fabric- Dimensions of electrode wiring fabric: Width 20mm x Length 110mm Thickness of electrode wiring fabric: approx. 500 μm - Device connection electrode size: 8mm x 8mm - Electrode size for biological contact: 8mm x 8mm Distance between the electrodes connected by the wiring: 70 mm

[0072] [Example 2] A fabric material with electrode wiring (see Figure 1) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that silver-plated polyester yarn (ODEX40 / 2 sold by Osaka Electric Industry Co., Ltd.) was used instead of carbon nanotube yarn.

[0073] [Resistance change rate of wiring part] According to the method described above, the resistance change rate of the wiring portion was measured before stretching and when the fabric material with electrode wiring was stretched to 50% of the maximum stretch. Note that the stretching was performed on the portion between both electrodes connected by the wiring portion. The maximum stretching of the fabric material with electrode wiring produced in Examples 1 and 2 was 56 mm. The resistance was measured when stretched to 28 mm, which is 50% of the maximum stretching, and at the maximum stretching, and the resistance change rate was calculated.

[0074] [Durability evaluation after repeated stretching operations] The fabric material with electrode wiring was repeatedly stretched 100,000 times at a reciprocating cycle of 1 Hz until it reached its maximum extension, and the resistance values ​​of the wiring portion were measured before and after the stretching operation. The resistance value of the wiring portion before the repeated stretching operation was determined as the resistance value when not stretched, and the resistance value of the wiring portion when the fabric material with electrode wiring 100 was stretched to its maximum extension after the repeated stretching operation was determined. The resistance value of this wiring portion was determined using the same method as for the resistance change rate of the wiring portion 30. The resistance change rate of the wiring portion after the stretching operation relative to the resistance of the wiring portion before the stretching operation was then determined and evaluated according to the following criteria. OK: Resistance change rate of wiring part is ±10% or less NG: Resistance change rate of wiring exceeds ±10%

[0075] [Table 1]

[0076] However, in Example 2, the durability evaluation after repeated extension and contraction operations was rated as OK up to 50 times. From the above results, it can be seen that the fabric material with electrode wiring of this example can suppress poor connection between the electrode portion and the wiring portion due to repeated deformation.

[0077] The symbols are explained as follows: 10 Fabric body 10A Surface fabric layer 10B Back fabric layer 10C Intermediate fabric layer 20 Electrode section 30 Wiring section 40 Conductive linear body 100 Fabric material with electrode wiring 101 Fabric material with electrode wiring 102 Fabric material with electrode wiring

[0078] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-103874 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All publications, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent application, or technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A fabric body; an electrode portion provided on a surface or inside the fabric body and including a conductive linear body; a wiring portion provided adjacent to the electrode portion on a surface or inside the fabric material body and including a conductive linear body; and the at least one conductive linear body included in the electrode portion and the at least one conductive linear body included in the wiring portion are the same conductive linear body, the electrode portions are provided at both ends of the same single conductive linear body, and are planar first electrode portions and second electrode portions which are arranged by repeatedly bending or curving the same single conductive linear body; a change in resistance of the wiring portion when the fabric material with electrode wiring is stretched to 50% of its maximum stretch relative to the resistance of the wiring portion before stretching the fabric material with electrode wiring is 5% or less, the conductive linear members included in the electrode portion and the wiring portion are conductive linear members including carbon nanotube yarns, the carbon nanotube yarn is a twisted body of ribbons of carbon nanotubes, The fabric material with electrode wiring has an area between two layers of stretchable fabric material where the carbon nanotube yarn is woven in a linear, wavy pattern progressing in the direction of weaving of the fabric material, and at both ends of the carbon nanotube yarn, rectangular areas where the same carbon nanotube yarn as the woven carbon nanotube yarn is repeatedly bent and woven on the same surface of the fabric material, respectively serving as an electrode section for biological contact and an electrode section for connecting to an equipment.

2. 2. The fabric material with electrode wiring according to claim 1, which has stretchability.

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