Bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777414-B2
Application number	US-201415028933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Oct 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric includes a hot-air source; and a case unit including a base member, and first and second members. The first and second members face opposite first and second surfaces of the base member and partition first and second conveyor spaces. The base member has first and second hot-air chambers. The first and second surfaces have first and second jet inlets. The first and second hot-air chambers at least partly overlap in a direction normal to the first surface. First and second conveying directions of the nonwoven fabric in the first and second conveyor spaces are different. Hot air flows along the first conveying direction and is blasted from the first jet inlet into the first conveyor space. Hot air flows along the second conveying direction and is blasted from the second jet inlet into the second conveyor space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric, the apparatus being for recovering bulkiness of the nonwoven fabric by blowing hot air to heat the nonwoven fabric, the apparatus comprising:
a hot-air source; and
a case unit including a base member, a first member and a second member,
the first member being provided facing a first surface of the base member and partitioning a first conveyor space for the nonwoven fabric,
the second member being provided facing a second surface of the base member and partitioning a second conveyor space for the nonwoven fabric,
the base member having a first hot-air chamber and a second hot-air chamber formed inside the base member,
the first surface having a first jet inlet,
the second surface being placed on a side opposite the first surface,
the second surface having a second jet inlet,
the first hot-air chamber being supplied with hot air from the hot-air source and communicating with the first jet inlet,
the second hot-air chamber being supplied with hot air from the hot-air source and communicating with the second jet inlet,
the first hot-air chamber and the second hot-air chamber being arranged so as to at least partly overlap in a direction normal to the first surface,

a conveying direction in which the nonwoven fabric is conveyed inside the first conveyor space being different from the conveying direction in the second conveyor space,
hot air being blasted from the first jet inlet into the first conveyor space,
the hot air flowing along the conveying direction from a one side toward another side in the conveying direction inside the first conveyor space,
hot air being blasted from the second jet inlet into the second conveyor space,
the hot air flowing along the conveying direction from the other side toward the one side in the conveying direction inside the second conveyor space.

2. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , wherein
a part of a pole that supports the case unit is placed inside the base member.

3. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , wherein
a first evacuation opening is formed in the first surface,
hot air is blasted from the first jet inlet, flows along the conveying direction, and is evacuated through the first evacuation opening from the first conveyor space,

a second evacuation opening is formed in the second surface,
hot air is blasted from the second jet inlet, flows along the conveying direction, and is evacuated through the second evacuation opening from the second conveyor space,

a first evacuation chamber and a second evacuation chamber are formed inside the base member,
the first evacuation chamber communicates with the first evacuation opening,
the second evacuation chamber communicates with the second evacuation opening,

the first evacuation chamber, the second evacuation chamber, the first hot-air chamber, and the second hot-air chamber are placed so as to at least partly overlap in the direction normal to the first surface.

4. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 3 , wherein
on the one side inside the base member in the conveying direction,
the second evacuation chamber is placed outside on the one side with respect to the first hot-air chamber, and

on the other side inside the base member in the conveying direction,
the first evacuation chamber is placed outside on the other side with respect to the second hot-air chamber.

5. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 3 , wherein
on the one side inside the base member in the conveying direction,
the first hot-air chamber is placed outside on the one side with respect to the second evacuation chamber, and

on the other side inside the base member in the conveying direction,
the second hot-air chamber is placed outside on the other side with respect to the first evacuation chamber.

6. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 3 , wherein
a duct that evacuates hot air from the case unit
is connected to one surface of surfaces partitioning the first evacuation chamber,
the surface being a side surface in a width direction of the nonwoven fabric and intersecting the conveying direction, and

the duct is also connected to one surface of surfaces partitioning the second evacuation chamber,
the surface being a side surface in the width direction.

7. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , wherein
a duct that supplies hot air from the hot-air source
is connected to one surface of surfaces partitioning the first hot-air chamber,
the surface being a side surface in a width direction of the nonwoven fabric and intersecting the conveying direction, and

the duct is also connected to one surface of surfaces partitioning the second hot-air chamber, the surface being a side surface in the width direction.

8. A bulkiness recovery apparatus for nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of the case units are aligned in a direction intersecting the first surface.

Assignees

• Unicharm Corp

Inventors

• Okuda Jun
• Mitsuno Satoshi

Classifications

• D04H1/54 Primary

  by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving (in combination with needling D04H1/485) · CPC title

• D04H1/50

  by treatment to produce shrinking, swelling, crimping or curling of fibres (in combination with needling D04H1/482) · CPC title

• D04H1/492 Primary

  by fluid jet (D04H1/49 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06C7/00

  Heating or cooling textile fabrics · CPC title

• D06B1/02 Primary

  by spraying or projecting (D06B1/08 takes precedence) · CPC title