Woven fabric and method for producing same

Abstract

Provided are a woven fabric incorporating a structure for forming a more sophisticated pleat structure, and a method for producing the woven fabric. The woven fabric includes a plurality of warps and a plurality of wefts that intersect the plurality of warps, the woven fabric being characterized in that: the plurality of warps are made of a resin; some of the plurality of warps are shrinking warps; and the shrinking warps repeatedly include, in the length direction thereof, a front-side jump portion in which the shrinking warps jump over a predetermined number of adjacent wefts from the front side, and a reverse-side jump portion in which the shrinking warps jump over a predetermined number of wefts adjacent in the length direction from the reverse side.

Description

Woven fabric and its manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a woven fabric and a method for producing the same.

[0002] In Patent Document 1 (JP 2015-218426 A), the inventors proposed a woven fabric incorporating a structure for forming the decoration itself, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0003] JP 2015-218426 A

[0004] The inventors conducted a series of trials and errors to further develop the technology of Patent Document 1, and succeeded in forming a fine pleated structure using woven fabric without using a pleating machine.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a woven fabric incorporating a structure for forming a more precise pleat structure, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0006] That is, one aspect of the present invention provides a woven fabric having a plurality of warp yarns and a plurality of weft yarns interlaced with the plurality of warp yarns, wherein the plurality of warp yarns are made of resin, and some of the plurality of warp yarns are shrinkable warp yarns, and the shrinkable warp yarns have, in their length direction, repeated front-side skip sections in which they skip over a predetermined number of adjacent weft yarns from the front side, and back-side skip sections in which they skip over a predetermined number of adjacent weft yarns from the back side. Note that the woven fabric of the present invention may have a structure in which the weft yarns and the warp yarns are interchanged.

[0007] In the woven fabric of the present invention, it is preferable that the weft yarns arranged in the valley portions that are overlapped by the face side jump portions have a color scheme different from that of the other adjacent weft yarns.

[0008] In the woven fabric of the present invention, it is preferable that a predetermined number of wefts skipped by the front side skip portion have a color scheme different from that of other adjacent wefts.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention provides a woven fabric comprising a front fabric and a back fabric made of the woven fabric described above, wherein the valleys and peaks formed by the front jump sections and back jump sections in the front fabric overlap with the valleys and peaks formed by the front jump sections and back jump sections in the back fabric.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a woven fabric, comprising the steps of: weaving a fabric in a predetermined pattern using a plurality of warp threads and a plurality of weft threads interlaced with the plurality of warp threads; and applying a specific treatment to the woven fabric, wherein the plurality of warp threads are made of resin, and some of the plurality of warp threads are shrinkable warp threads, and the shrinkable warp threads have a repeating pattern of front-side jump sections in which they jump over a predetermined number of adjacent weft threads in the length direction from the front side, and back-side jump sections in which they jump over a predetermined number of adjacent weft threads in the length direction from the back side. Note that in the method for manufacturing a woven fabric of the present invention, the woven fabric may have a structure in which the weft threads and the warp threads are interchanged.

[0011] The present invention provides a woven fabric incorporating a structure for forming a more precise pleat structure, and a method for manufacturing the same. Therefore, the process of forming pleats in the fabric using a pleating machine can be omitted. Furthermore, for example, when the structure for forming pleats and the color or pattern are incorporated into the fabric, the pleats can be precisely matched with the color or pattern.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a woven fabric 1 according to a representative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the fold structure of the woven fabric 1. FIG. 3 is a surface view and a side view showing an example of pleats formed in the woven fabric 1. FIG. 4 is a side view showing another example of pleats formed in the woven fabric 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a technique for incorporating a pattern into the woven fabric 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the fold structure of the woven fabric 1 having a double structure. FIG. 7 is a surface view and a side view showing an example of pleats formed in the woven fabric 1 having a double structure. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a technique for incorporating a pattern into the woven fabric 1 having a double structure. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a technique for incorporating a pattern into the woven fabric 1 having a double structure. FIG. 10 is an enlarged photograph showing an example of the structure of the woven fabric 1.

[0013] A woven fabric and a method for manufacturing the same according to a representative embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are intended to conceptually explain the present invention, and therefore dimensions, ratios, and numbers may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary for ease of understanding, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0014] 1. Basic Structure of Woven Fabric 1 The basic structure of the woven fabric 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 10. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of the woven fabric 1. Figure 10 is an enlarged photograph showing an example of the structure of the woven fabric 1.

[0015] The woven fabric 1 is a fabric made of a woven material. That is, the woven fabric 1 has a plurality of warp threads 10 and a plurality of weft threads 20 that intersect with the plurality of warp threads 10. The plurality of warp threads 10 is a collective term for normal warp threads (other warp threads) 11 and shrinkable warp threads 12, which will be described later, and are made of resin. The plurality of weft threads 20 is a collective term for weft threads 21, which will be described later, and are also made of resin. The fabric that makes up the woven fabric 1 may be single-ply or double-ply.

[0016] The plurality of warp threads 10 include normal warp threads 11 and shrinkable warp threads 12. The normal warp threads 11 may be made of chemical fibers or resin fibers. The normal warp threads 11 can be made of a resin material such as polyester.

[0017] The shrinkable warp threads 12 shrink more in the longitudinal direction than the normal warp threads 11 when subjected to a specific treatment such as heating, and can also be called heat-shrinkable threads. For example, the shrinkable warp threads 12 are composed of a core and a covering thread wound around the core. The core can be made of a material such as polyurethane that shrinks significantly in the longitudinal direction when heated to a predetermined temperature. The covering thread can be made of the same material as the normal warp threads 11, such as polyester.

[0018] Each shrinkable warp yarn 12 in the woven fabric 1 has a front jump section 12A in its length direction that jumps over a predetermined number of adjacent weft yarns 21 from the front side of the woven fabric 1. The front jump section 12A is exposed on the front side of the woven fabric 1. Additionally, each shrinkable warp yarn 12 has a back jump section 12B in its length direction that jumps over a predetermined number of adjacent weft yarns 21 from the back side of the woven fabric 1. The back jump section 12B is hidden on the back side of the woven fabric 1. The front and back jump sections 12A, 12B are arranged according to a preset pattern, as will be described later.

[0019] The weft threads 21 may be made of natural fibers, chemical fibers, or resin fibers, such as polyester, cotton, nylon, aluminum, or glass fiber.

[0020] In this woven fabric 1, specific treatment such as heating causes the shrinkable warp yarns 12 to shrink in the longitudinal direction more than the normal warp yarns 11. Heating methods include applying an iron or steam to the woven fabric 1, or bathing the woven fabric 1 in hot water. This causes the shrinkable warp yarns 12 to shrink significantly at the front and back skip sections 12A, 12B, causing the woven fabric 1 to shrink in the warp direction as a whole. Therefore, by adjusting the width (distance) of the front and back skip sections 12A, 12B (for example, 1 to 5 mm, preferably 2 to 3 mm), the shrinkage tension can be suitably controlled. In this way, a precise pleat structure is formed in the woven fabric 1 according to a predetermined pattern. In this regard, if the width of the front and back skip sections 12A, 12B is less than 1 mm, pleats are not formed at all, and if this width is more than 5 mm, a loop shape is formed, preventing sharp pleats from being formed.

[0021] Specific examples of materials constituting the woven fabric 1 are as follows. As the normal warp threads 11, threads of various specifications (thickness, etc.) can be used as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. For example, polyester 50 to 150 (preferably 70 to 80) denier (36 filaments) can be used. Furthermore, polyester wound Marlon (starched) can be used as the shrinkable warp threads 12. The shrinkable warp threads 12 can be 50 to 150 denier. The ratio (number) of normal warp threads 11 to shrinkable warp threads 12 may be 1 to 50%, and preferably 10 to 30%.

[0022] Furthermore, various specifications of yarn can be used for the weft yarn 21 as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. For example, yarns of 30 denier to 3000 denier can be used. The weft yarn 21 can be woven at a density of 50 to 120 threads per cm (preferably 80 to 90 threads per cm). Fabric cannot be produced at a density of less than 50 to 120 threads per cm. Fabric is difficult to produce with a density of less than 50 threads per cm, as the fabric becomes too coarse and loses its shape. On the other hand, a density of more than 120 threads per cm makes the fabric too dense and stiff, impairing flexibility and processability, making it difficult to produce a fabric that can actually be used. To more reliably obtain the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to use weft yarns of 50 to 300 denier and a density of 80 to 90 threads per cm.

[0023] 2. Forming pleats in the woven fabric 1 Next, a method for forming pleat patterns in the woven fabric 1 will be described. First, a method for forming pleats in a single-layer fabric will be described, and then a method for forming pleats in a double-layer fabric will be described.

[0024] (1) To form mountain folds in the woven fabric 1, it is sufficient to provide a backside jump portion 12B in the woven fabric 1. To form valley folds in the woven fabric 1, it is sufficient to provide a frontside jump portion 12A in the woven fabric 1. Therefore, to form repeated mountain folds and valley folds (pleated patterns) in the woven fabric 1, it is sufficient to provide frontside and backside jump portions 12A, 12B in the woven fabric 1. Note that in Figures 2, 6, 8, and 9, mountain folds are represented by solid lines, and valley folds are represented by dashed lines.

[0025] Specifically, in the example shown in Fig. 2, mountain folds, valley folds, valley folds, and mountain folds are repeatedly formed in the woven fabric 1. As a result, pleats with recesses can be formed in the woven fabric 1, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0026] Furthermore, by repeatedly making mountain folds and valley folds on the woven fabric 1, it is possible to form pleats in one direction on the woven fabric 1, as shown in Fig. 4(A) . In this example, it is sufficient to repeatedly provide the back side jump portion 12B and the front side jump portion 12A in this order on the woven fabric 1. Conversely, by repeatedly making valley folds and mountain folds on the woven fabric 1, it is possible to form pleats in the opposite direction to the example in Fig. 4(A) , as shown in Fig. 4(B) . In this example, it is sufficient to repeatedly provide the front side jump portion 12A and the back side jump portion 12B in this order on the woven fabric 1.

[0027] Furthermore, the size of the pleats themselves can be changed by changing the skip width of the front and back skip sections 12A, 12B. Furthermore, the spacing between the pleats can be changed by changing the spacing between adjacent front and back skip sections 12A, 12B. By combining these techniques, a variety of pleat patterns can be formed.

[0028] Therefore, as will be described later, it is possible to form a variety of dense pleats in the woven fabric 1 without using a pleating machine. For example, dense pleats with widths of 1 mm to 30 mm can be formed with high productivity. It is also possible to obtain a woven fabric with a mixture of narrow and wide dense pleats. Furthermore, the position of the pleats can be accurately controlled. In this regard, it is difficult to say that it is practical to accurately align the position of the pleats with the position of the pattern when using a pleating machine.

[0029] (2) The woven fabric (textile) described in (1) above can be layered to form a double-layered woven fabric 1. To form the double-layered woven fabric 1, two pieces of fabric can be layered, or one piece of fabric can be folded back at a predetermined location. The latter method can be applied to folded-back portions such as sleeves and hems.

[0030] Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 6, a woven fabric similar to that shown in FIG. 2 (see FIGS. 6(A) and 7(A1) and (A2)) is prepared as the front fabric 3, and a woven fabric similar to that shown in FIG. 2 but with the mountain folds and valley folds reversed (see FIGS. 6(B) and 7(B1) and (B2)) is prepared as the back fabric 5. That is, in the back fabric 5, the front jump section 12A and the back jump section 12B are reversed compared to the front fabric 3. When these front and back fabrics 3 and 5 are overlapped, the mountain folds of the front fabric 3 correspond to the valley folds of the back fabric 5, and the valley folds of the front fabric 3 correspond to the mountain folds of the back fabric 5 (see FIG. 7(C)). Therefore, the peaks and valleys are programmed so that the pleats of the front fabric 3 and the back fabric 5 interlock. This allows the pleated double woven fabric 1 to be made thinner.

[0031] To fold the front and back fabrics 3, 5 as a single piece of fabric at a predetermined location (X in Fig. 6(C)), the pattern of the front fabric 3 can be switched to the pattern of the back fabric 5 at the folding location X. To impart a crease to the folding location, a shrinkable yarn can be inserted into the folding location of a portion of the weft yarn, and a skip portion can be provided in the weft direction.

[0032] 3. Formation of a pattern on the valley fold portion on the front side of the woven fabric 1 The weft yarns 21 corresponding to the valley fold portion that is not visible from the front side of the woven fabric 1 can be colored in a different color from the other adjacent weft yarns 21. This makes it possible to create different patterns on the woven fabric 1 in a shrunk state and in a stretched state. Specific techniques are described below.

[0033] (1) The case of a single-ply woven fabric 1 will be described. This corresponds to applying a predetermined color scheme to the woven fabric 1 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 (applying a preset color to the weft yarn 21). As described above, in the woven fabric 1 in a shrunken state, the overlapping portion C (see Figure 5(B)) formed by the valley fold is not visible from the front side. Because the valley fold is formed by the front-side jump portion 12A, it is sufficient to apply a color scheme (including a pattern) different from that of the other portions to the overlapping portion C formed by the valley fold.

[0034] In particular, from the viewpoint of providing a buffer or slack so that the hidden pattern does not become exposed due to slight stretching of the woven fabric 1, it is preferable to apply a color (including a pattern) different from that of the other portions to the portions C overlapping each other by the valley folds, within a predetermined distance (for example, 1 to 2 mm, depending on the thickness of the fabric and the width of the pleats, etc.) from both ends of the overlapping portions C. Alternatively, a predetermined number of weft yarns 21 skipped by the front side skip portion 12A (the portion marked with symbol B in FIG. 5A, i.e., the gray portion) may be colored in a different color from the other adjacent weft yarns 21 (the portion marked with symbol A in FIG. 5A).

[0035] This allows different patterns to appear in the shrunk woven fabric 1 and in the stretched woven fabric 1. In the illustrated example, the shrunk woven fabric 1 has a plain white front side (see FIG. 3A) and a black striped pattern (not shown) on the back side, whereas the stretched woven fabric 1 has a black striped pattern on the front side (see FIG. 5A) and a stretched striped pattern on the back side (not shown). Of course, the striped pattern given here is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. This allows for greater creative freedom for designers.

[0036] (2) Next, we will explain the woven fabric 1 made of double-layered fabric. This corresponds to applying a predetermined color scheme to the woven fabric 1 illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 (applying a preset color to the weft yarn 21), and here we will explain two patterns illustrated in Figures 8 and 9.

[0037] In either pattern, the front of the outer fabric 3 is plain white and the back of the outer fabric 3 has a black stripe in the shrunk state (see Figures 8(A) and 9(A)). The formation of such patterns was explained in detail in (1) above. Therefore, the following description will focus on the back fabric 5.

[0038] In the first pattern, the front of the back fabric 5 is plain white and the back of the back fabric 5 has a black stripe when shrunk (see FIG. 8(B)). As mentioned above, the front jump portion 12A and the back jump portion 12B of the back fabric 5 are reversed compared to the front fabric 3. By applying a color (e.g., black) to the overlapping portion C of the back fabric 5, which is formed by the valley fold, that is different from the other portions (e.g., white), the front of the back fabric 5 becomes plain white and the back of the back fabric 5 has a black stripe when shrunk (see FIG. 8(B)). In particular, from the viewpoint of providing a buffer or slack to prevent the hidden pattern from being exposed due to slight stretching of the woven fabric 1, it is preferable that the predetermined number of weft yarns 21 skipped by the front jump portion 12A (the portion marked with symbol B in FIG. 8(B), i.e., the gray portion) have a color different from the other adjacent weft yarns 21 (the portion marked with symbol A in FIG. 8(B)).

[0039] Therefore, when the backing fabric 5 is placed on the back of the fronting fabric 3, the patterns on the backings match, resulting in a neat and tidy appearance.

[0040] The second pattern is when the front of the lining fabric 5 is striped and the back of the lining fabric 5 is plain white (see FIG. 9(B)). In this case, the front jump section 12A and the back jump section 12B of the lining fabric 5 are reversed compared to the front fabric 3, but the lining fabric 5 has the same color scheme as the front fabric 3. As a result, when the lining fabric 5 is placed behind the front fabric 3, the patterns on the back of the front fabric 3 and the back of the lining fabric 5 are different, allowing you to enjoy the difference in design.

[0041] Of course, these two patterns can be combined as desired, which expands the creative possibilities for designers.

[0042] 4. Manufacturing Method of Woven Fabric 1 Next, a manufacturing method of the woven fabric 1 will be described.

[0043] The method for manufacturing the woven fabric 1 includes a step of weaving a fabric from a plurality of warp yarns 10 and a plurality of weft yarns 20 in a predetermined pattern (weaving step), and a step of applying a specific treatment to the woven fabric. Here, heating is used as the specific treatment, so the latter step is referred to as the heating step. However, the specific treatment may be any treatment that can shrink the shrinkable warp yarns 12 included in the plurality of warp yarns 10, and other treatments such as immersion in a chemical may also be used.

[0044] In the weaving process, warp threads 10 and weft threads 20 are supplied to a loom and woven. The woven fabric 1 may be woven in any manner as long as it is made of warp threads 10 and weft threads 20, and may be of any weave, such as plain weave, twill weave (diagonal weave), satin weave, or a variation of the three basic weaves of plain weave, twill weave, and satin weave, a double weave (warp double weave, weft double weave), a multiple weave with more than double weaves, or a figured weave (jacquard weave).

[0045] At this time, a front side jump section 12A and a back side jump section 12B are provided in the shrinkable warp yarn 12 in a preset pattern. Also, the color scheme of the weft yarn 20 belonging to the part that will become a valley fold in a later heating process is set to be different from the color scheme of the weft yarn 20 in the adjacent part. Also, before the warp yarn 10 and weft yarn 20 are hung on the loom, any necessary yarn dyeing, etc. is performed.

[0046] In addition, in the case of a woven fabric 1 made of double fabric, in which the front fabric 3 and the back fabric 5 are knitted together as one piece of fabric, the patterns and color schemes of the warp threads 10 and weft threads 20 to be applied to each of the front fabric 3 and the back fabric 5 are set in advance.

[0047] Next, in the heating step, steam is applied to the woven fabric 1 to shrink the shrinkable warp yarns 12, thereby forming pleats in the fabric 1. The heating conditions for the woven fabric 1 can be adjusted appropriately depending on the specifications of the woven fabric 1, but for example, steam at 100°C to 180°C may be applied to the woven fabric 1 for about 1 second to 1 minute, preferably 2 to 3 seconds to 30 seconds.

[0048] The woven fabric of the present invention can be made using yarns of various colors, can be reversed midway to create different colors, textures, hardness, and patterns on the front and back, and can be given a variety of colors, textures, hardness, and patterns that vary depending on the region, making this dense and versatile woven fabric applicable to a variety of uses, including clothing, bags, interior materials such as wall hangings, shades, and curtains, decorative materials, building materials, frames, housings, and packages.

[0049] While the present invention has been described above as a representative embodiment, it is not limited to such an embodiment. Various design modifications are possible, and all such modified forms are within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the woven fabric 1 may have a structure in which the weft yarns 20 and the warp yarns 10 are interchanged. That is, yarns of various colors and materials may be strung as the warp yarns 10, and a normal yarn (e.g., polyester) and a shrinkable yarn may be woven as the weft yarns 20. In this case, by forming front and back skip sections in the weft yarns, the woven fabric may be heated to shrink the fabric in the horizontal direction. This method is suitable for mass production because it has good production efficiency.

[0050] 1 Woven fabric (fabric) 11 Normal warp thread (other warp thread) 12 Shrinkable warp thread 12A Front side skip section 12B Back side skip section 21 Weft thread

Claims

1. A woven fabric having a plurality of warp threads and a plurality of weft threads intersecting with said plurality of warp threads, wherein said plurality of warp threads are made of resin, and some of said plurality of warp threads are shrinkable warp threads, and said shrinkable warp threads have repeatedly, in their length direction, front side jump sections which jump over a predetermined number of adjacent weft threads from the front side, and back side jump sections which jump over a predetermined number of adjacent weft threads in the length direction from the back side.

2. The woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the weft yarns arranged in the valleys that are overlapped by the front side jump section have a color scheme different from that of the other adjacent weft yarns.

3. The woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of weft yarns skipped by the front side skip portion have a color scheme different from that of other adjacent weft yarns.

4. The woven fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that the weft threads and the warp threads are interchanged.

5. A woven fabric comprising a front fabric and a back fabric made of the woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the valleys and peaks formed by the front jump sections and back jump sections of said front fabric overlap with the valleys and peaks formed by the front jump sections and back jump sections of said back fabric.

6. A method for manufacturing a woven fabric, comprising: a step of weaving a plurality of warp threads and a plurality of weft threads intersecting with the plurality of warp threads in a predetermined pattern; and a step of applying a specific treatment to the woven fabric, wherein the plurality of warp threads are made of resin; and a portion of the plurality of warp threads are shrinkable warp threads, and the shrinkable warp threads have repeatedly front side jump sections which jump over a predetermined number of adjacent weft threads in the length direction from the front side, and back side jump sections which jump over a predetermined number of adjacent weft threads in the length direction from the back side.

7. The method for producing the woven fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that the weft yarns and the warp yarns are interchanged.

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