GB2553573A - Insulation layer and garment - Google Patents

Abstract

An adaptive insulation layer 1 comprising a sheet of insulation material 2 being either a non-woven wadding, a woven fabric, and with a plurality of slits 10. In use, the plurality of slits 10 having a closed configuration (figure 1A) when the sheet of insulation material is under no strain and an open configuration when a stretching force 20 is applied across the sheet in at least one direction. The application also describes a garment (Figure 4A) comprising the insulation sheet and an outer fabric layer.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

Berghaus Limited (Incorporated in the United Kingdom)

Manchester Square, LONDON, W1U 3PH, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

James Hodgson Daniel Horsham Joseph O'Connell Donna Bruce (51) INT CL:

A41D 27/28 (2006.01) A41D 31/00 (2006.01) (56) Documents Cited:

GB 1137000 A WO 2017/020022 A1

WO 2004/098328 A1 JP 2012052275 A (58) Field of Search:

INT CLA41D

Other: Online: EPODOC, WPI (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

Mewburn Ellis LLP

City Tower, 40 Basinghall Street, LONDON, Greater London, EC2V 5DE, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Insulation layer and garment Abstract Title: Adaptive insulation layer and garment (57) An adaptive insulation layer 1 comprising a sheet of insulation material 2 being either a non-woven wadding, a woven fabric, and with a plurality of slits 10. In use, the plurality of slits 10 having a closed configuration (figure 1A) when the sheet of insulation material is under no strain and an open configuration when a stretching force 20 is applied across the sheet in at least one direction. The application also describes a garment (Figure 4A) comprising the insulation sheet and an outer fabric layer.

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INSULATION LAYER AND GARMENT

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an adaptive insulation layer, particularly to an adaptive insulation layer including a plurality of slits which are variable between an open and a closed configuration to control heat flow through the layer.

Background of the Invention

Traditional outdoor garments are designed to provide specific levels of thermal resistance or insulation to the wearer. This is most commonly achieved by trapping a level of air in an insulating material such as down or polyester wadding housed between an inner and outer fabric. One limitation to such systems is that they provide a static or constant level of thermal insulation when in fact wearers require different levels of insulation depending on whether they are stationary or moving.

Traditional insulation systems mentioned above often result in the wearer overheating and becoming uncomfortable when active, yet also cooling too quickly and becoming uncomfortable when the activity stops and the user becomes stationary. For the wearer, it is undesirable to have to add or remove items of clothing every time activity levels change.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing, according to a first aspect, an adaptive insulation layer comprising: a sheet of insulation material, the sheet of insulation being either a non-woven wadding, a woven fabric, or a knitted fabric; the sheet of insulation material further comprising a plurality of slits, each of the plurality of slits having: a closed configuration when the sheet of insulation material is under no strain; and an open configuration when a stretching force is applied across the sheet of insulation in at least one direction.

When the plurality of slits are in a closed configuration, a maximum amount of heat is trapped by the insulation material. However, when the plurality of slits are in an open configuration heat can escape through the insulation material via the apertures created by the open slits.

Slits may occupy an intermediate configuration, which is open but not having its maximum possible aperture if a stretching force is applied, but not enough to stretch the slits to their maximum.

The sheet of insulation material used to manufacture the adaptive insulation layer typically has a level of porosity to air.

Optional features of the invention will now be set out. These are applicable singly or in any combination with any aspect of the invention.

Optionally, the sheet of insulation material is a non-woven synthetic material such as a nonwoven polyester wadding. Other synthetic materials such as polyamide and polylactide (PLA) could also be used.

Optionally, the sheet of insulation material could comprise natural materials such as wool.

Optionally, the sheet of insulation material includes an anti-migration finish.

Optionally, the adaptive insulation layer has a thickness of no more than 4cm. This thickness may be uniform or substantially uniform, in that all areas except for apertures formed by the slits will have a thickness of no more than 4cm.

The adaptive insulation layer may thickness of no more than 3cm. In some embodiments, the adaptive insulation layer may have a smaller thickness of no more than 1cm.

The lowest possible thickness of the adaptive insulating layer will depend upon the type of insulation used. For example, in non-woven insulations, the insulation may have a uniform thickness which is no less than 0.3cm.

For more compact insulations, such as a compact knit or woven insulation, the insulation may have a thickness which is no less than 2.5mm.

Optionally, the adaptive insulation layer has a thickness of no more than 0.5cm.

Optionally, the plurality of slits are laser cut.

Optionally, the plurality of slits includes one or more of the following: single directional slits;

multi directional slits; geometric patterns; multi tipped cross cuts; connected slits; and curved slits.

Optionally, the plurality of slits includes two or more of the following: single directional slits; multi directional slits; geometric patterns; multi tipped cross cuts; connected slits; and curved slits.

The adaptive insulation layer may include clusters of slit types; for example: a first cluster of a plurality of slits of a first slit type such as curved slits may be positioned at a first location and a second cluster of a plurality of slits of a second type such as multi tipped cross cuts may be positioned at a second location.

Optionally, the adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims, further comprises a stretch non-woven, woven or knitted scrim applied to one or both sides of the insulation either prior to or after the insulation has been slit.

In this way, when a wearer of the garment is active their movements will stretch and adapt the structure of the materials within the garment to promote heat loss and prevent overheating and discomfort. Specifically, at least a portion of the plurality of slits will be forced into an open configuration when the wearer is active but will remain in a closed configuration when the wearer is stationary.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adaptive insulation garment, the garment comprising: the adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims; and an outer fabric layer.

A garment with a multi-layer insulation system is therefore provided where levels of thermal resistance alter depending on how the insulation is stretched. By including a plurality of slits in the insulation layer the multi-layer insulation system enables a garment construction according to which a person’s movement stretches and adapts the structure of insulation, varying the slits between the open and closed configurations and therefore allowing control over the amount of heat lost through the garment.

The outer layer may or may not include a coating or membrane.

Optionally, the outer fabric layer is woven or knitted, or a membrane or other known material suitable for use as an outer layer for a multi-layer garment.

Optionally, the outer layer has an air permeability value of no more than 500cfm.

By having an air permeability value x which is 0<x<500cfm, the outer layer allows for different levels of air permeability from completely windproof to highly air permeable.

The air permeability value of a specific outer fabric layer will determine the level of air exchange possible between the insulation layer and the outermost surface of the garment.

At one extreme, the outer fabric layer may be completely windproof. At the other extreme, the outer layer will be highly air permeable.

Optionally, the adaptive insulation garment further comprises an inner fabric layer.

The adaptive insulation layer lies in-between the inner fabric layer and the outer fabric layer.

By using air permeable fabrics for the inner layer and/or the outer layer, heat loss may be increased further by promoting a higher level of air exchange through the insulation when it is stretched and the slits are open, boosting heat loss via convection.

This heat loss through convection may be even further enhanced by the constant opening and closing of the slits coupled with the movements of the inner and out layers acting as air pumps within the garment.

Therefore when stationary the insulation system formed by the three layers of the garment will provide a standard level of thermal insulation. As a person starts to move and becomes more active the insulation system allows for a higher level of heat loss by opening and closing the slits when in motion, therefore maintaining comfort for longer periods when active.

Optionally, the inner fabric layer is woven or knitted.

In some embodiments, the inner fabric layer is a stretch material. In other embodiments, the inner fabric layer is a non-stretch material.

Optionally, the inner fabric layer has a permeability value of no more than 500cfm.

In this way, the inner layer allows for different levels of air exchange between the adaptive insulation layer and the wearer’s body inside of the garment.

Further optional features of the invention are set out below.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig 1A shows a schematic diagram of an adaptive insulation layer in a closed configuration;

Fig 1B shows a schematic diagram of heat flow for the adaptive insulation layer of Fig 1 A;

Fig 2A shows a schematic diagram of the adaptive insulation layer of Fig 1A in an open configuration when a stretching force is applied across is in more than one direction;

Fig 2B shows a schematic diagram of heat flow for the adaptive insulation layer of Fig 2A;

Figs 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F each depict examples of slit types for the plurality of slits;

Fig 4 shows an example of a panel for a garment, the panel formed from an adaptive insulation layer which includes a range of slit types located in clusters of slits at various locations on the garment; and

Fig 5 is a schematic diagram of layers of a garment according to the present invention.

Detailed Description and Further Optional Features of the Invention

An example of an adaptive insulation layer 1 according to the present invention is described below with reference to Figs 1 A, 1B, 2A and 2B.

The adaptive insulation layer 1 comprises a sheet of insulation material 2, which may take the form of a non-woven wadding, a woven fabric, or a knitted fabric although a sheet of any woven or non-woven material commonly used in apparel could be used. A plurality of slits 10 are formed in the sheet of insulation material.

In this embodiment, slits 10 are arranged in a regular pattern, more specifically, a regular pattern of single direction slits, each slit laying in a direction parallel to its neighbours. Other examples of slit types are described below in relation to Figure 3.

The slits would typically be laser cut or stamped into the sheet of insulation material.

As shown in Fig 1A and 1B, the plurality of slits 10 will exist in a closed configuration when the sheet of insulation material is under no strain (i.e. in a relaxed state). In this configuration/state, the slits 10 remain ‘closed’ and a maximum amount of heat 20 is trapped by the (insulation) material.

As shown in Fig 2A and 2B, the plurality of slits will exist in an open configuration when a stretching force is applied across the sheet of insulation in at least one direction. In the embodiment shown, a stretching force is applied across multiple directions including a direction 20b laying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slits, a direction 20d laying transverse to the longitudinal axis of the slits and two directions 20c, 20d laying at an angle to the longitudinal axis of a slit.

The stretching of the material causes each of the slits 10 in within the stretched portion of material to be pulled into an open configuration, each open slit creating an aperture through which some heat 21 can escape. Some heat 20 will still be trapped by the insulation material itself.

Examples of types of slits are described below in relation to Figs 3A-3F. Each example shows a specific slit type in a regular repeating pattern. However, it is envisaged that the plurality of slits in the adaptive insulation layer could be made up of more than one slit type and that they may be arranged in non-regular patterns or in a combination of regular and non-regular patterns.

In the example shown in Fig 3A the plurality of slits takes the form of a plurality of single direction slits, each of which lie in a direction parallel to that of the neighbouring slits. This slit type may be particularly effective if a stretching force is applied transverse to the longitudinal length of the slits. However, a stretching force applied in the direction along the length of the slits is unlikely to have an effect.

In the example shown in Fig 3B the plurality of slits takes the form of multi direction slits. In this example, each of the plurality of slits lies in either a first diagonal direction or a second diagonal direction. Each slit laying in a first diagonal direction will be positioned such that its neighbouring slits (above, below, to the left and to the right) each lie in the second diagonal direction and vice versa.

In the example shown in Fig 3C the plurality of slits takes the form of a repeating geometrical pattern of slits, the pattern of slits being made up of longitudinal slits, transverse slits, slits in a first diagonal direction, slits in a second diagonal direction, slits in a third diagonal direction, and slits in a fourth diagonal direction.

In the example shown in Fig 3D the plurality of slits takes the form of multi-tipped cross cuts.

In the example shown in Fig 3E the plurality of slits takes the form of slits arranged in a structural pattern, in this case forming a repeated pattern of hexagons, each hexagon being connected to adjacent hexagons via an additional connecting slit.

In the example shown in Fig 3F, the plurality of slits takes the form of curved slits, in this case, a repeating pattern of c-shaped curves in a first direction and a repeating pattern of cshaped curves in a second direction. It is envisage that other patterns of curved slits could be applied including wave-shaped slits.

As an alternative to a simple repeat pattern, a random pattern could be used or a panelspecific pattern, with body mapped slits placed in the areas most prone to heat, sweat or movement. An example of a panel specific pattern is shown in Fig 4A in the form of a back panel of a garment. The panel includes a plurality of single direction slits 4a at or adjacent each shoulder portion, a plurality of curved slits 4b adjacent each arm portion, a spinal cluster of multi-tipped cross cuts 4d, and two additional clusters 4c of multi-tipped cross cuts at a lower lateral position on each side of the wearer’s back.

In this way, the slit type and the slit placement are chosen based on the likelihood of stretch and direction of stretch at particular locations as well as in order to optimise specific cooling requirements of specific areas of the garment.

Any one of the adaptive insulation layers described above may be combined with one or more layers to provide garment with a multi-layer insulation system. An example of such a garment is shown in Fig 5 in which the adaptive insulation layer 5b is sandwiched between an inner fabric layer 5a and an outer fabric layer 5c.

In some embodiments, the insulation layer 5b may be connected to the inner and/or outer layer only at the seams of the garment, so that the layers are free to move relative to one another.

In other embodiments, the insulation layer may be attached to one of the inner or outer fabrics at additional locations. This attachment may take the form of bonding between the inner or outer layer and the insulation layer. The bonding may cover entire areas of the fabric or may take the form of bonding strips which may or may not be regularly spaced.

Alternatively, the adaptive insulation layer may be attached to the inner or outer fabric layer by sewn quilt lines. Again, these may or may not be regularly spaced.

The outer layer is typically woven or knitted may or may not include a coating or membrane (not shown). It will typically have an air permeability value which is more than 0 (completely windproof) but no more than 500cfm (highly air permeable).

The inner layer may also be woven or knitted as well as a stretch or non-stretch material and will typically have an air permeability value which is more than 0 (completely windproof) but no more than 500cfm (highly air permeable).

While the invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

All references referred to above are hereby incorporated by reference.

Claims (15)

1. An adaptive insulation layer comprising:

a sheet of insulation material, the sheet of insulation being either a non-woven wadding, a woven fabric, or a knitted fabric;

the sheet of insulation material further comprising a plurality of slits, each of the plurality of slits having:

a closed configuration when the sheet of insulation material is under no strain; and an open configuration when a stretching force is applied across the sheet of insulation in at least one direction.

2. The adaptive insulation layer of claim 1, wherein the sheet of insulation material is a non-woven polyester wadding.

3. The adaptive insulation layer of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sheet of insulation material includes an anti-migration finish.

4. The adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims, having a thickness of no more than 4cm.

5. The adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claim, wherein the sheet of insulation material has a porosity to air.

6. The adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of slits are laser cut.

7. The adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of slits includes one or more of the following: single directional slits; multi directional slits; geometric patterns; multi tipped cross cuts; connected slits; and curved slits.

8. The adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of slits includes two or more of the following: single directional slits; multi directional slits; geometric patterns; multi tipped cross cuts; connected slits; and curved slits.

9. The adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

a stretch non-woven, woven or knitted scrim applied to one or both sides of the insulation either prior to or after the insulation has been slit.

10. An adaptive insulation garment, the garment comprising:

the adaptive insulation layer of any one of the preceding claims; and an outer fabric layer.

11. The adaptive insulation garment of claim 10, wherein the outer fabric layer is woven or knitted or a membrane.

12. The adaptive insulation garment of claim 11, wherein the outer layer has an air permeability value of no more than 500cfm.

13. The adaptive insulation garment according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising an inner fabric layer.

14. The adaptive insulation garment of claim 13, wherein the inner fabric layer is woven or knitted.

15. The adaptive insulation garment of claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the inner fabric layer has a permeability value of no more than 500cfm.

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Application No: GB1615443.7