U.S. patent application number 13/266495 was filed with the patent office on 2012-03-08 for carpet.
This patent application is currently assigned to DESSO B.V.. Invention is credited to Ludwig Maria Gerardus Irma Cammaert.
Application Number | 20120058293 13/266495 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41728031 |
Filed Date | 2012-03-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120058293 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cammaert; Ludwig Maria Gerardus
Irma |
March 8, 2012 |
CARPET
Abstract
Carpet, comprising high piles and low piles, wherein a majority
of the fibres which the high piles comprise is lighter in weight
than the smaller fibres which the low piles comprise, and wherein
particularly the high piles comprise fibres with a diversity of
weights, wherein some of the fibres of the high piles have a weight
of less than 15 dTex, and preferably less than 5 dTex, and the
remaining fibres of the high piles have a weight of less than 25
dTex.
Inventors: |
Cammaert; Ludwig Maria Gerardus
Irma; (Berkel-Enschot, NL) |
Assignee: |
DESSO B.V.
Waalwijk
NL
|
Family ID: |
41728031 |
Appl. No.: |
13/266495 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
April 27, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/NL10/50237 |
371 Date: |
November 21, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/89 ; 428/85;
428/92 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 27/02 20130101;
Y10T 428/23936 20150401; D06N 7/0065 20130101; D05C 17/026
20130101; Y10T 428/23957 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/89 ; 428/85;
428/92 |
International
Class: |
D05C 17/02 20060101
D05C017/02; D04H 11/00 20060101 D04H011/00; D03D 27/00 20060101
D03D027/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 27, 2009 |
NL |
2002808 |
Claims
1. A carpet, comprising a base structure provided with: high piles,
and low piles, wherein some of the fibres which the high piles
comprise are lighter in weight than the smallest fibres which the
low piles comprise, wherein at least some of the fibres of the high
piles have a weight of less than 15 dTex, and preferably less than
5 dTex.
2. The carpet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high piles
comprise fibres with a diversity of weights.
3. The carpet as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least half the
fibres of the high piles have a weight less than 5 dTex.
4. The carpet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the remaining fibres
of the high piles have a weight less than 25 dTex.
5. The carpet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fibres of the low
piles have a weight above 400 dTex.
6. The carpet as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least the high or
the low piles comprise loop piles.
7. The carpet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piles are
tufted.
8. The carpet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high and the low
piles are arranged mixed together.
9. The carpet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the high and the low
piles are arranged alternatingly in one or more rows.
10. The carpet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the high and low
piles are arranged optionally in pairwise manner in a chessboard
pattern or random structure.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a carpet for floor
covering. The present invention relates particularly to a carpet
which results in fine dust reduction in the space in which it is
laid.
[0002] Due to increasing insulation, for instance for the purpose
of air conditioning in buildings, the exchange of air in the space
with outside air decreases and the concentration of fine dust and
other contamination in the spaces increases.
[0003] Fine dust and endotoxins represent a great problem for
people suffering from allergies. When breathed in, small particles
have the effect of irritating the airways, particularly in the case
of people with weak lungs. Contaminants such as allergens and
endotoxins moreover adhere to these small particles and are
breathed deeply into the lungs. Dust can also cause disease, for
instance because floating dust ends up in the blood, whereby the
blood thickness can increase, with a greater risk of a heart
attack.
[0004] It is generally believed that floor covering comprising
textile, such as carpet, is less suitable for people with asthmatic
conditions.
[0005] So-called dust control carpets are known, which are not so
much intended to prevent (fine) dust and dirt being stirred up into
the air (of the space in which the carpet lies), but rather to
remove it from footwear. It is known to apply for this purpose
relatively high piles with fine filaments and relatively low piles
with coarse fibres or filaments, usually with cut piles, in order
to brush the dirt off footwear.
[0006] The European patent application EP 0 378 004 describes such
a dust control carpet, which is composed of first areas with fine
yam and second areas with coarse yarn. The areas are preferably at
least 2 mm wide. The fine yarn is made up of fibres of 15-60 dpf
(16-55 dTex) and the coarse yarn of between 150 and 5000 dpf
(160-5500 dTex). The carpet described in EP 0 378 004 however does
not have for its object to reduce fine dust in the space, nor is it
suitable for this purpose.
[0007] The American patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,566 likewise
describes a dust control carpet including high, fine tufts and low,
coarse tufts. The carpet described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,566 does
not have the purpose of reducing or binding fine dust either. The
fine fibres have a weight of 15-50 dpf and the coarse fibres a
weight of 150-500 dpf.
[0008] It is however an object of the present invention to provide
a carpet which does result in a decrease in the fine dust in the
space, or contributes toward making such a decrease possible.
[0009] The present invention provides for this purpose a carpet
with a base structure of a primary backing comprising high and low
piles, wherein the greatest number of fibres of the high piles is
lighter in weight than the smallest fibres which the low piles
comprise, and wherein at least some of the fibres of the high piles
have a weight per unit of length of less than 15, and preferably
less than 5 dTex. The terms "high" and "low" must be understood
here to be relative, the high piles thus being higher than the low
piles. The high piles are however preferably a minimum of 1 mm
higher than the low piles.
[0010] It is noted that in this application the dimensions in dTex
stated in respect of the present invention relate to a filament
(also referred to as dpf in the field). The yarns used can comprise
a plurality of these filaments.
[0011] Because the carpet comprises both high and low piles, the
effect of dust being trodden into the carpet is reduced. The fine
dust enters the spaces which occur where low piles are situated
between high piles. Having entered these spaces, the fine dust is
held fast and no longer re-enters the room area. The high piles
comprising the ultra-fine filaments adhere the smallest particles
(<10 .mu.m) and hold them fast. The lower piles comprise the
thicker yarns, in which coarser dust is collected. It is precisely
by applying at least some of the fibres of the high piles with a
weight per unit of length of less than 15, and preferably less than
5 dTex, that the effect is obtained of fine dust being bound. Fine
dust is for instance understood to mean particles in the order of
magnitude of PM10 or PM2.5 (particle matter).
[0012] PM10 relates to particles which can be breathed in, with an
aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 .mu.m. Particles of this size
cause health problems because they are generally carried through
the throat and nose and enter the lungs.
[0013] PM2.5 relates to particles which can be breathed in, with an
aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 .mu.m. These particles can
affect the vascular system and prolonged exposure thereto can
result in a shortened lifespan.
[0014] The high piles, which form a contact surface of the carpet
according to the present invention, are preferably manufactured
from a thread which is made up of fibres with a diversity of
weights per unit of length. It has been found particularly
advantageous for the other fibres of the high piles to have a
weight per unit of length of less than 25 dTex. The part with
fibres of less than 15, and preferably less than 5, dTex is
preferably higher than 30 percent, more preferably more than half,
and still more preferably more than 70 percent.
[0015] The coarse fibres also have the purpose of arranging an open
pile construction in the carpet, whereby a better airflow results
during cleaning of the carpet. Measurements by means of sensors
which are placed through the backing at the position of the base of
the piles indicate that during vacuuming of the carpet according to
the present invention this airflow, measured at the position just
above the primary backing, is 28 m/s against 18 m/s in standard
carpet, whereby the larger quantity of concentrated fine dust
discharge can be substantiated.
[0016] It is a further object to collect the fine dust such that it
can then be discharged, and herein prevent it from re-entering the
space. It is advantageous for this purpose for the low piles to be
manufactured from thread, at least some of the fibres of which have
a weight per unit of length above 400 dTex. Use can be made for
this purpose of a plurality of threads, each with a different
weight per unit of length, by tufting thereof on a base structure
from different bobbins or cones, and of a preparation made up of a
plurality of different types of thread prior to being arranged.
[0017] Because the low piles are enclosed by high piles, the fine
dust is prevented from being carried along again when the carpet is
walked on or in the case of airflows parallel to the floor covered
with the carpet. When the carpet is vacuumed however, the air flow
is substantially perpendicular to the carpet and in a direction
away from the carpet, whereby all piles are suctioned straight
upward and the fine dust is picked up in simple manner. A suitable
width of the space between the high piles has been found to be 5.1
mm ( 1/10''.times.2) and 6.4 mm (1/8''.times.2).
[0018] In order to further reduce a brushing action and the
resulting stirring up of dust, at least the high or the low piles
can consist of loop piles. Both the high and low piles are more
preferably formed by loop piles.
[0019] Such piles can be formed by means of tufting, wherein many
methods for manufacturing the carpet are possible. The high and the
low piles can be produced in diverse design variants and for
instance be arranged mixed together, or alternatingly in one or
more rows, or optionally in pairwise manner in a chessboard
pattern, or have a random structure.
[0020] The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the
following figures, in which:
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a carpet according to the present
invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a carpet according to the present invention
during the removal of fine dust;
[0023] FIGS. 3a-3f show a number of comparative tests between the
carpet according to the present invention and a standard carpet or
a hard floor covering such as a laminate or linoleum.
[0024] FIG. 1 shows a carpet 1 according to the present invention
situated in a space 4 in which fine dust particles 5 and 6 are
present. The fine dust particles drop downward as a result of the
force of gravity and come to lie on carpet 1. A small part of the
finest particles 6 here adheres to high piles 2 of carpet 1 and the
somewhat coarser particles 5 to low piles 3 of carpet 1. It can be
seen that particles 5 come to lie in a space enclosed between two
high piles. In this way they are not entrained by an airflow
parallel to carpet 1 (a direction generated by walking in the space
or for instance by draught) and so not taken up again into the air
in the space either.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows the directions of displacement of dust
particles 5 and 6 from the high and low piles as a result of a
substantially vertical airflow in a direction away from carpet 1.
Such an airflow is caused during vacuuming and, as shown, results
in concentrated discharge of the collected dust being possible. The
carpet thus functions as a regenerative fine dust reservoir.
[0026] FIGS. 3a-3d show the quantity of dust in a space in which
the carpet according to the present invention (A) is laid as a
function of time, relative to a standard carpet (B).
[0027] FIG. 3a shows a comparison between the carpet according to
the present invention (A) and a standard carpet (B), wherein the
quantity of particles with a size PM10 is shown as a function of
time. The graph shows that an airflow is generated several times in
order to cause a turbulence corresponding to wind current caused by
walking or to draught. It can be seen that in the carpet according
to the present invention (A) the dust which is hereby stirred up is
relatively much lower after a period of time than in the standard
carpet (B), even in the case of a higher quantity of fine dust at
the start of the test.
[0028] FIG. 3b shows a comparison between the carpet according to
the present invention (A) and a standard carpet (B), wherein the
quantity of particles with a size PM2.5 is shown as a function of
time. The quantity of fine dust introduced into the test space in
the case of (A) is roughly equal to the quantity in the case of
(B). No difference can be seen in the sedimentation after the
quantity of fine dust PM2.5 has been introduced. After a longer
time there are moreover differences in the swirling as a result of
airflows such as caused by people walking on the carpet or by
draught, and there is a lower final concentration of fine dust in
the space. As in FIG. 3a, an airflow is generated several times in
order to cause a turbulence corresponding to wind current caused by
walking or to draught. It can be seen that in the carpet according
to the present invention (A) the dust hereby stirred up is
relatively much lower after a period of time than in the standard
carpet (B).
[0029] FIG. 3c shows a comparison between the carpet according to
the present invention (A) and a standard carpet (B), and in
addition a hard floor covering such as laminate or linoleum (D), as
well as a standard carpet (C). As in FIG. 3a, a quantity of
particles with a size PM10 is introduced into the space. It can be
seen that the reduction in fine dust particles brought about by the
carpet according to the present invention amounts to more than a
factor 10 relative to a hard floor covering.
[0030] FIG. 3d shows a comparison similar to the comparison of FIG.
3a, but wherein particles with a size PM2.5 are now used instead of
particles with a size PM10. It can also be seen here that the
reduction in fine dust particles brought about by the carpet
according to the present invention amounts to more than a factor 10
relative to a hard floor covering.
[0031] FIG. 3e shows the average result of a comparison, repeated
15 times, between the fine dust reduction carpet according to the
present invention and a hard floor covering. It can be seen that
the carpet according to the invention results in a concentration B
of PM10 particles in the air which is 8 times lower compared to the
hard floor covering A.
[0032] FIG. 3f shows the average result of a comparison, repeated
15 times, between the fine dust reduction carpet according to the
present invention and a hard floor covering. It can be seen that
the carpet according to the invention results in a concentration B'
of PM2.5 particles in the air which is 3 times lower compared to
the hard floor covering A'.
[0033] It is noted by way of comparison that, compared to a hard
floor covering, standard "low level loop" carpets only result in an
improvement of a concentration which is 1.3 respectively 2 times
lower than a hard floor covering.
[0034] It can be concluded on the basis of the above figures that
the carpet according to the present invention is much less
susceptible to swirling and turbulence in the air of the space in
which it is laid, on the one hand because it ensures that the fine
dust is held fast in the spaces created between the long piles, and
on the other due to the increased capturing capacity of the fine
filaments in the high pile.
[0035] An embodiment which functions very well in practice is
obtained by manufacturing the high piles from a yarn of 700 dTex
with 30 filaments (so 23.3 dTex or dpf per filament) in a 3:5 ratio
with a yarn of 320 dTex with 72 filaments (so 4.4 dTex or dpf per
filament) and by manufacturing the low piles from a yarn with 1600
dTex with 4 filaments (so 400 dTex or dpf per filament) in a 5:3
ratio with a yarn of 1000 dTex with 42 filaments (so 23.8 dTex or
dpf per filament).
[0036] In addition to the shown embodiments, several variations are
possible which are all deemed to fall within the scope of
protection of the following claims. It is particularly noted that
the carpet according to the present invention can be manufactured
both as wall-to-wall carpet and as carpet tile, wherein the piles
are fixed to a tuft base by means of a precoating and a heavy
coating or for instance through fusing, and wherein a protective
and/or strengthening layer can for instance consist of bitumen,
polyolefins, PVC, SBR or EVA.
* * * * *