JP2009153556A - Absorbent articles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an absorbent article that is easily bent in the width direction and has a good liquid transfer property from a surface sheet to an absorber.
An absorbent article includes a top sheet having alternating ridges and grooves extending in the longitudinal direction. A large number of recesses 22 extending in the width direction of the article 1 are formed in the flange 30 intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the article 1. The depth (D2) from the top of the collar portion in the sheet thickness direction of the recess 22 is at least half the thickness (D1) of the topsheet 10 in the collar portion 20.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins and disposable diapers.

  There is known an absorbent article including a surface sheet in which uneven portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the article are alternately arranged in the width direction of the article. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an absorptivity provided with a surface sheet in which a valley portion and a peak portion facing the liquid receiving side extend in the longitudinal direction and are formed in a wave shape in the width direction that is a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The article is listed. In the mountain portion, a rough portion having a low density of fibers constituting the surface sheet and a dense portion having a high density are alternately formed in the longitudinal direction. According to this absorbent article, the surface sheet is described in the same document as being curved and deformed at each rough portion formed at the peak portion and forcibly bent at a dense portion other than the rough portion. Yes.

  However, in the absorbent article described in Patent Document 1, since the surface sheet has a corrugated shape having substantially the same thickness in the cross-section in the width direction, the surface sheet has a high density and a high rigidity. It is flexible at the rough portion, not at the portion. Therefore, this surface sheet is contacting only the absorber located in the bottom in a trough. Due to this contact state, the transfer of the liquid excreted by the sheet to the surface, particularly the transfer of the liquid from the wave-shaped top that is in direct contact with the skin, may be difficult to be performed quickly.

JP 2001-137284 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article having further improved performance as compared with the above-described absorbent articles of the prior art.

The present invention is a vertically long absorbent article comprising a surface sheet on the skin contact surface side, a back sheet on the non-skin contact surface side, and an absorbent body between the two sheets,
The top sheet has alternating vertical eaves and grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the article,
In the collar portion, a hollow portion recessed in the sheet thickness direction is intermittently formed along the longitudinal direction of the article,
The depth (D2) from the ridge part top part of the sheet | seat thickness direction of the said recessed part provides the absorbent article which is more than half of the thickness (D1) of the surface sheet in the said ridge part.

  According to the present invention, since the surface sheet has a ridge groove structure, bending in the direction in which the ridge groove extends is unlikely to occur, but the depression formed in the ridge portion of the surface sheet serves as a starting point of bending and absorbs. The product is easily bent in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, when the thickness of the collar part in the topsheet is larger than the thickness of the groove part, the effect becomes more remarkable. As a result, it is difficult to separate the absorbent article from the wearer's body, and it is also difficult to separate the top sheet and the absorbent body. In addition, since the lower surface of the buttock is in contact with the absorbent body, the transferability of the excreted liquid is improved.

  The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The top view which looked at the sanitary napkin which is one Embodiment of the absorbent article of this invention from the surface sheet side is shown by FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

  The napkin 1 has a vertically long shape in plan view. The napkin 1 includes a top sheet 10 positioned on the skin facing surface side, a back sheet 11 positioned on the underwear facing surface side, and an absorbent body 12 disposed between both sheets. The absorber 12 has a vertically long shape in plan view. The top sheet 10 and the back sheet 11 respectively extend outward from the front and rear end edges and the left and right side edges of the absorber 12. The topsheet 10 extending outward from the left and right side edges of the absorber 12 is wound around the bottom surface of the absorber 12. On the surface sheet in the left and right side regions of the napkin 1, a leakproof cover sheet 14 is arranged so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1. The side edge of each leakproof cover sheet 14 closer to the inner side in the width direction of the napkin 1 is located on the top sheet 10 and is a free edge that is separated from the top sheet 10. Although not shown in the figure, an elastic member may be arranged in an extended state along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1 at the free edge. As a result, the side edge portion closer to the inside of the leak-proof cover sheet 14 is more easily separated from the top sheet 10, and the leak-proof effect by the sheet 14 is further enhanced.

  The leak-proof cover sheet 14 extending outward from the left and right side edges of the absorber 12 is also joined to the back sheet 11 extending outward from the left and right side edges of the absorber 12. The wing part 13 described above is composed of a joined body of the leak-proof cover sheet 14 and the back sheet 11. An adhesive portion 15 a for fixing the napkin 1 to the underwear is formed on the opposite surface of the underwear in the central region in the width direction of the napkin 1, that is, the surface of the back sheet 11 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1. An adhesive portion 15b for fixing the wing portion 13 to the underwear is formed on the underwear facing surface of the wing portion 13.

  The napkin 1 has the excretion part opposing part A arrange | positioned facing a wearer's excretion part at the time of wear. Furthermore, it has the front part B and the back part C which are extended in the front-back direction from the excretion part opposing part A. The front part B is arranged closer to the wearer's ventral side (front) than the excretory part facing part A. The rear part C is arranged on the back side (rear) of the wearer rather than the excretory part facing part A.

  In the present specification, the “skin facing surface” is a surface directed toward the wearer's skin when wearing the napkin, and the “underwear facing surface” is the underwear side (opposite to the wearer's skin) when wearing the napkin. It is the surface that is directed to. The “longitudinal direction” is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the napkin or various members, and the “width direction” is a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

  In the napkin 1, side grooves 60 formed by integrally compressing the topsheet 10 and the absorbent body 12 are formed in the left and right side regions in the width direction of the napkin 1 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1. ing. The lateral groove 60 extends from the front part B to the rear part C. The lateral groove 60 is located slightly inside from the side edge of the absorbent body 12. In addition, the napkin 1 includes a front groove 71 and a rear groove 72 formed by integrally compressing the topsheet 10 and the absorber 12 so as to extend in the width direction of the napkin 1 and the parts before and after the excretory part facing part A. That is, it is formed in the front part B and the rear part C, respectively. The side groove | channel 60 and the front groove | channel 71 and the back groove | channel 72 are formed by compressing the surface sheet 10 and the absorber 12 from the skin opposing surface side with or without heat.

  The lateral groove 60 is a continuous single groove. Similarly, the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72 are also a single continuous groove. The end portions of the side grooves 60 in the front portion B are connected to the left and right end portions of the front groove 71. Similarly, the end portions of the side grooves 60 in the rear portion C and the left and right end portions of the rear groove 72 are connected. Thereby, these grooves have a closed shape as a whole.

  FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a main part of the top sheet 10. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. In FIG. 3, the direction indicated by Y is the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1, and the direction indicated by X is the width direction of the napkin 1. The top sheet 10 shown in FIG.3 and FIG.4 has the 1st surface 10a and the 2nd surface 10b facing this. The 1st surface 10a is a surface which faces a wearer's skin side, when the surface sheet 10 is integrated in absorbent articles, such as a sanitary napkin and a disposable diaper. The 2nd surface 10b is a surface which faces the absorber side of an absorbent article. The topsheet 10 has a flange 20 and a groove 30 that extend in the longitudinal direction Y, respectively. The flange portions 20 and the groove portions 30 are alternately arranged over a direction X orthogonal to the extending direction Y thereof.

  The collar portion 20 is filled with the constituent fibers of the topsheet 10. That is, there is no cavity in the collar portion 20. Similarly, a portion of the groove portion 30 where an opening 31 described later is not formed is filled with constituent fibers of the topsheet 10. The flange portion 20 is configured from a relatively thick portion of the topsheet 10, and the groove portion 30 is configured from a relatively thin portion of the topsheet 10. As a result, the substantial thickness of the flange portion 20 is larger than the thickness of the groove portion 30. Here, the substantial thickness means not the length (apparent thickness) from the back surface of the top sheet 10 to each uppermost part, but the length of the portion where the fibers of the top sheet 10 are present.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction (the direction indicated by X in the drawing), the flange portion 20 has a smooth curve that is convex upward on the first surface 10 a side. It has a contour to draw. The first surface 10a side of the flange portion 20 is raised higher than the second surface 10b side, and this is periodically continuous. Thus, the first surface 10a side has a waveform shape along the X direction. Therefore, when the 1st surface 10a side of the surface sheet 10 touches a wearer's skin, the top part of the collar part 20 and the area | region of the vicinity will contact partly, and the stickiness by the stuffiness resulting from a full surface contact Feeling and irritation caused by rubbing are reduced. Moreover, it becomes difficult for the liquid excreted from the wearer to adhere to the wearer's skin.

  On the other hand, the second surface 10b side has a contour that draws a smooth and gentle curve convex downward. Therefore, the site | part located in the collar part 20 among the absorber opposing surfaces of the surface sheet 10 comes in contact with the absorber 12 distribute | arranged under the surface sheet 10 by a surface. As a result, the liquid excreted in the topsheet 10 can pass through the flange 20 in the topsheet 10 and smoothly migrate to the absorber 12. As a result, the first surface 10a of the topsheet 10 has a smooth and dry feeling.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the flange portion 20 has a top portion 21 on the first surface 10 a side in the cross section in the X direction, and the substantial thickness is the largest at this portion. Then, with respect to the X direction, the substantial thickness gradually decreases as the distance from the top portion 21 increases. Therefore, when the surface sheet 10 is viewed along the X direction (except when viewed along a hollow portion 22 described later), the substantial thickness is periodically changed. Although not shown in the drawing, the flange portion 20 has substantially the same thickness at the top portion 21 at any position in the extending direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 4) (however, it will be described later). (Excluding when viewed along the recessed portion 22). In the topsheet 10 of the present embodiment, there is no clear boundary between the flange portion 20 and the groove portion 30, and in general, a portion having the smallest substantial thickness located between the two top portions 21 adjacent to each other in the X direction and A portion in the vicinity thereof becomes the groove 30. When the boundary between the flange portion 20 and the groove portion 30 is clearly defined, the position of the apparent thickness at the top portion 21 of the flange portion 20 is defined as the boundary portion between the flange portion 20 and the groove portion 30.

  The thickness D1 (see FIG. 4) of the topsheet 10 in the heel part 20 is preferably 0.1 to 3 mm from the viewpoint of enhancing the cushioning and breathability of the topsheet 10 and controlling the diffusion of the liquid. -2 mm is more preferable. The thickness D1 is measured by magnifying and observing the cross section of the topsheet 10 to 50 to 200 times using a microscope VH-8000 (manufactured by Keyence). The cross section is obtained by cutting the top sheet 10 using a feather razor (part number FAS-10, manufactured by Feather Safety Razor Co., Ltd.). In addition, the thickness of the groove part 30 measured by the same method is 0.1-1 mm.

  The width of the heel portion 20 in the X direction of the topsheet 10 is preferably 1 to 10 mm, and more preferably 2 to 5 mm, from the viewpoint of touch and absorbency. From the same viewpoint, the width of the groove 30 in the X direction of the topsheet 10 is preferably 0.5 to 7 mm, and preferably 1 to 3 mm. In the present embodiment, the flange portion 20 and the groove portion 30 are formed with the same width. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the width of the flange portion 20 in the central region in the X direction of the topsheet 10 is set to the flange portion in the side region. The width may be wider than 20. Or it can be set as a desired form, such as making the width | variety of the collar part 20 and the groove part 30 random.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the collar portion 20, the width direction of the napkin 1, that is, the direction indicated by X in the figure intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1, that is, the direction indicated by Y in the figure. A number of recesses 22 extending in the direction are formed. The recess 22 is formed to be recessed in the thickness direction of the topsheet 10. When the recess 22 is viewed along the width direction of the napkin 1, the recess 22 is connected in a straight line to form a recess 22 </ b> A, and the recess 22 </ b> A is predetermined along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1. It arrange | positions so that it may form at intervals. The recess 22 is formed by compressing the flange 20 to reduce its thickness and, in some cases, projecting further toward the absorber. As shown in FIG. 4, as for the hollow part 22, depth D2 is more than half of thickness D1 of the surface sheet 10 in the collar part 20, from the top part of the collar part 20, Preferably it is 60 to 150% of D1. It has become. When D2 is more than 100% of D1, the recessed portion 22 protrudes toward the absorber.

  The length L (see FIG. 3) of the hollow portion 22 along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1 is 0.5 to 5 mm, particularly 1 to 3 mm, and the cushion is maintained by maintaining the topmost height of the collar portion 20. The effect of reducing stickiness due to the decrease in the contact area due to the depression 22 and the liquid transferability due to the depression 22 having a high fiber density formed as a result of the compression of the flange 20 while maintaining the properties and flexibility. This is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the formation of a capillary gradient from the top of the flange 20 to the recess 22 and further improving the air permeability in the planar direction on the first surface 10a side of the topsheet 10. Moreover, the pitch P of the hollow part row | line 22A along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1 is constant, and it is 1-10 mm, especially 2-5 mm, The reduction | decrease amount of the thickness of the surface sheet 10 by the pressure at the time of mounting | wearing ( The amount of crushing of the collar portion 20) is constant, which is preferable from the viewpoint of stabilizing cushioning properties and flexibility, and further absorbability, and from the viewpoint of ease of manufacturing control.

  By forming such a flange portion 20, the napkin 1 is deformed with the hollow portion row 22 </ b> A as a flexible shaft, and when the napkin 1 is viewed from the side surface, the napkin 1 is in the surface sheet 10 over the longitudinal direction. It easily bends (bends) in a concave shape toward the side. As a result, discomfort caused by wrinkles that occur irregularly on the top sheet and the occurrence of liquid flow are suppressed, the napkin 1 and the wearer's body are easily fitted, and the top sheet 10 and the absorbent body 12 are not easily separated. Become. Thereby, the permeability of the excreted liquid and the transferability of the liquid from the top sheet 10 to the absorber 12 are improved. In addition, when the napkin 1 is adapted to the curved shape of the wearer's body, a recess 22 is formed on the skin facing surface side of the topsheet 10, and the recess 22 functions as a flexible shaft, whereby the recess 22 Thus, the napkin 1 is bent and the tops of the flanges 20 formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1 are close to each other with the recess 22 interposed therebetween. As a result, the gap between the recessed portions 22 is filled, so that it becomes easier to take in the liquid. On the other hand, in the excretory part facing part A, although there are individual differences, the gap due to the recessed part 22 is curved so as to be maintained or slightly widened, so that the air permeability can be kept high. In addition, in the front part B and the rear part C of the napkin 1, even when it follows the curved shape of the body, the amount of movement of the topsheet 10 is larger in the part closer to the top part of the collar part 20, so the part close to the recess part 22 is Space is left, and the air permeability in the width direction is not lost.

  When viewed along the width direction of the napkin 1, the recess 22 is formed so as to cross the flange 20 over the entire width direction. However, the hollow portion 22 does not reach the groove portion 30 located adjacent to the left and right sides of the flange portion 20 where the hollow portion 22 is formed. As a result, in the surface sheet 10, the thickness D3 of the surface sheet 10 and the thickness D4 of the groove portion 30 in the portion where the recess 22 is formed are different. In the present embodiment, D3 is slightly larger than D4. Since the hollow part 22 does not reach the groove part 30, the collar part 20 is easily maintained high, and the cushioning property and flexibility of the topsheet 10 are improved. In the case of this embodiment, since a capillary gradient is formed due to the difference between the fiber density of the recess portion 22 and the fiber density of the groove portion 30, the liquid easily moves from the groove portion 30 to the recess portion 22 and is absorbed. There is an advantageous effect that the liquid is guided to the absorber 12 from the absorber-facing surface of the flange 20 in contact with the body 12 or from the absorber-facing surface of the recess 22. In order to further enhance this effect, the depression 22 is provided at least on the surface of the absorbent body 12 located on the undergarment facing surface side, or when an intermediate sheet is disposed between the topsheet 10 and the absorbent body 12. It is preferable that at least the intermediate sheet is bonded.

  In the present embodiment, the thickness D3 of the surface sheet 10 in the portion where the recess 22 is formed in the surface sheet 10 is substantially constant, but instead, the portion has two or more different thicknesses. It may be formed from these parts. For example, the said part may be formed from the high pressing part with small thickness, and the low pressing part with large thickness. In the high pressure portion, the constituent fibers of the topsheet 10 are relatively densely compressed. In the low-pressure squeezed part, the constituent fibers of the topsheet 10 are squeezed relatively loosely than the high-pressure squeezed part. By forming such a portion having a different thickness, a gradient is generated due to the difference in capillary force of the recess 22, the excretion of the excreted liquid is improved, and the absorbent 12 through the recess 22 is transferred to the absorber 12. There is an advantageous effect that the transfer of the liquid is promoted. Further, the thickness D3 of the topsheet 10 and the thickness D4 of the groove 30 in the portion where the recess 22 is formed can be easily configured such that D3 is larger than D4 as in this embodiment. Become.

  Of the above-described high-pressure squeezed part and low-pressure squeezed part, the thickness of the high-pressure squeezed part, which is the thinnest part, is preferably 3 to 20%, particularly 5 to 15% of the thickness of the topsheet 10 in the collar part 20. The thickness of the high-pressure portion can be measured by observing the longitudinal section of the surface sheet 10 in an unloaded state with a microscope.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a large number of apertures 31 are formed in the groove 30. The openings 31 are regularly and intermittently formed at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1. Therefore, the top sheet 10 is formed in a state in which a plurality of aperture rows made of a large number of apertures 31 arranged at regular intervals along the Y direction are formed in multiple rows over the X direction of the top sheet 10. It has become. The pitch of the arrangement of the apertures 31 in all aperture rows is the same. In two adjacent rows of apertures, the apertures 31 are located at the same position in the X direction of the topsheet 10. The opening 31 is arranged so that there is always a portion where the opening 31 is not formed when the entire sheet is viewed along the X direction of the sheet 10. Further, when viewed from the top sheet 10 as a whole, the apertures 31 are distributed and arranged so as to form a multi-row row in the X direction of the sheet 10 and a multi-row row also in the Y direction. By arranging the apertures 31 in this way, the apertures 31 can be formed more efficiently by dividing the fibers than when the apertures 31 are arranged in a staggered pattern, for example. Can do.

  The opening 31 is formed by separating the constituent fibers of the topsheet 10. In the vicinity of the end of the opening 31, a film-like structure resulting from the thermal deformation of the fiber is not formed. Due to this, the vicinity of the end portion of the opening 31 has low rigidity, and is excellent in flexibility and shape restoration property against deformation. Further, since the liquid passes through the structure, the liquid does not collect near the end of the opening 31. In addition, when it sees as the whole surface sheet, as for the constituent fiber, the fibers are basically entangled or the fibers are fused. Thereby, the form of the nonwoven fabric is maintained.

The opening 31 can take various shapes in a plan view of the topsheet 10. For example, a shape such as a circle, an oval, an ellipse, a triangle, a quadrangle, a hexagon, or a combination thereof can be given. What is necessary is just to determine suitably the shape and magnitude | size of the opening 31 according to the specific use of an absorbent article. As an example, the size of the opening 31 is approximately 0.5 to ⁵ mm ² in terms of a projected area of the top sheet 10 in plan view, from the viewpoint of liquid permeability and maintaining the strength of the top sheet 10. preferable. The size of the opening 31 is measured using an image analysis system. Specifically, a light source [Sunlight SL-230K2; manufactured by LPL Co., Ltd.], stand [copy stand CS-5; manufactured by LPL Co., Ltd.], lens [24 mm / F2.8D Nikkor lens], CCD camera [(HV-37; manufactured by Hitachi Electronics Co., Ltd.) F lens mount connection] and video board [Spectra 3200; manufactured by Canopus Co., Ltd.] take in. The captured image is binarized by the image analysis software NEW QUEBE (ver. 4.20) manufactured by NEXTUS. The average value of the individual areas obtained from the binarized image is taken as the size of the aperture.

  The opening 31 may have an end projecting toward the second surface 10b of the topsheet 10 to form a liquid introduction pipe including the projecting portion. As described above, since the end portion of the opening 31 has low rigidity, the cushioning property of the topsheet 10 is further enhanced by forming the protruding portion. Moreover, since the contact between the topsheet 10 and the absorbent body 12 can be maintained regardless of the structure of the absorbent body 12 located below the topsheet 10 by forming the protruding portion, the liquid excreted from the wearer Is efficiently transmitted from the top sheet 10 to the absorber 12.

In addition, in the collar part 20 shown by FIG. 4, when the said liquid introduction pipe | tube is formed in the opening 31 in this embodiment which protrudes to the underwear opposing surface side, various mounting | wearing pressure (0-20cN / Under cm ² ), stable absorption and wearing feeling can be realized. On the other hand, even in the case of a collar portion formed in a cross-sectional shape when viewed from the underwear facing surface side or a collar portion with a slight depression, the liquid guide tube in the present invention has low rigidity, so at least Under the normal mounting pressure (about 5 to 15 cN / cm ² ) condition in the standing position, the underwear facing surface side of the buttocks is in direct contact with the absorber (or the intermediate layer), and thus the same effect is exhibited.

  With respect to the positional relationship between the opening 31 and the recess 22 formed in the collar portion 20 described above, when viewed along the width direction of the napkin 1, the recess 22 is formed on the napkin 1 as shown in FIG. 3. It is located between the openings 31 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. In other words, when viewed along the width direction of the article of the napkin 1, the opening 31 is adjacent to a portion where the recessed portion 22 is not formed in the flange portion 20, and the opening 31 in the groove portion 30 is formed. The part which is not adjacent to the hollow part 22 of the collar part 20. According to the napkin 1 of the present embodiment, the opening 31 and the recess 22 are in such a positional relationship, so that the recess 22 and the non-opening portion of the groove 30 are in the width direction of the napkin 1. Will be next to each other. As a result, there is an advantageous effect that the liquid transfer from the depression 22 to the groove 30 is promoted by the gradient of the capillary force formed from the depression 22 to the non-opening portion of the groove 30. Moreover, the advantageous effect that it is prevented that the opening 31 contacts a wearer's skin directly by the collar part 20 and the opening 31 adjoining is also show | played.

  In the napkin 1 provided with the surface sheet 10 having the above-described structure, since the surface sheet 10 is integrated with the absorbent body 12 by the side grooves 60, the front grooves 71, and the rear grooves 72, the above-described depression 22 is formed. Coupled with being formed on the collar portion 20, the topsheet 10 and the absorbent body 12 are prevented from separating while the napkin 1 is worn. Moreover, the side groove | channel 60 has the positional relationship substantially parallel to the collar part 20 of the surface sheet 10, and the width | variety of the collar part 20 and the width | variety of the side groove | channel 60 are substantially equal. Further, the width of the recess 22 formed in the flange 20 is smaller than the width of the side groove 60. As a result, the lateral grooves 60 do not straddle over three or more of the flange portions 20, and the characteristics of the groove structure of the topsheet 10 are less likely to be impaired. Moreover, even if the collar part 20 and the groove part 30 receive the deformation | transformation by the position shift and pressure of the surface sheet 10, it is easy to return to an original shape, and since it has a softness | flexibility, it is comfortable. These advantages become even more remarkable when the side groove 60 is formed at a position that substantially overlaps one of the flange portions 20.

  Although it depends on the width of the flange portion 20 of the topsheet 10, the width of the side groove 60 is preferably 2 to 7 mm. As described above, this width is preferably substantially equal to the width of the flange 20 or preferably narrower than that. As a result, the influence of crushing the flange portion 20 due to the formation of the side grooves 60 can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, it is preferable that the central portion of the side groove 60 is disposed in the groove portion 30 of the topsheet 10 from the viewpoint that the flange portion 20 is not easily crushed when the side groove 60 is formed. Moreover, the liquid leakage prevention property by the side groove | channel 60 increases by such arrangement | positioning, and also the touch becomes favorable.

  As shown in FIG. 1, high pressing parts 81 and low pressing parts 82 are alternately formed in the side grooves and in the front grooves and the side grooves along the extending direction of these grooves. The high pressing portion 81 is a portion formed by strongly compressing the top sheet 10 and the absorbent body 12. The low-pressure squeezed part 82 is a part formed by being compressed relatively weaker than the high-pressure squeezed part 81. The thickness of the napkin 1 in the high pressing part 81 is smaller than the thickness of the napkin 1 in the low pressing part 82. These pressing parts can be formed using an embossing device known in the art. As shown in the figure, in the lateral groove 60, the high pressing part 81 and the low pressing part 82 are formed so as to be inclined with respect to the extending direction of the lateral groove 60. As a result, the body fluid excreted in the excretory part-facing site A can be appropriately diffused in the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1, thereby preventing leakage from the width direction of the napkin 1 and effectively utilizing the absorber 12. An effect is produced. That is, since the density of the periphery of the side groove 60 is increased along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1 by forming the high pressure portion and the low pressure portion in the side groove 60, the excreted liquid is discharged. It is easy to diffuse along the side groove 60. Moreover, since the side groove | channel 60 has the high pressing part 81 and the low pressing part 82, in the side groove | channel 60, although it spread | diffuses excessively in a longitudinal direction, it is suppressed. Therefore, the diffusion of the liquid around the side groove 60 described above does not become excessive.

  When the high pressing portion 81 and the low pressing portion 82 in the side groove 60 are formed to be inclined, the advantage that the diffusion control effect by the side groove 60 is easily exhibited as compared with the case where the side groove 60 is formed without being inclined. There is also. This is because, in the topsheet 10 of the present embodiment in which the substantial thickness of the ridge portion 20 is larger than that of the groove portion 30, many fibers are present in the ridge portion 20, and thus extend in the same direction as the ridge groove structure of the topsheet 10. The side groove 60 is difficult to squeeze and fix the collar portion 20, and the low-pressure portion is also difficult to form. In that respect, when the high pressing portion is formed inclined with the side groove 60 (that is, inclined with the groove structure of the topsheet 10), a side groove structure that improves the liquid diffusion effect is easily formed. . It is more preferable that a part of the high pressing portion 81 of the side groove 60 has a portion overlapping the adjacent high pressing portion 81 because a more stable low pressing portion 82 can be formed.

  On the other hand, in the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72, as shown in FIG. The length in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the recess. By forming the high pressing part 81 and the low pressing part 82 in this way, the collar part 20 of the surface sheet 10 is partially compressed by the high pressing part 81 to form a structure that can easily guide the liquid to the absorbent body 12. be able to. As a result, the liquid diffused in the front-rear direction of the napkin 1 or the liquid flowing on the top sheet is absorbed. In addition to this, since the ridge groove structure of the top sheet 12 and the high pressing part 81 and the low pressing part 82 are formed in the same direction, the top sheet 10 positioned in the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72 is flexible. It is hard to lose, and good touch and cushion feeling are maintained. Moreover, the flexibility of the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72 is also improved, and it is possible to form a groove with good skin contact and good fit. Even when the pressure contact portions similar to the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72 are formed at the front and rear end portions of the napkin 1, the structure in which the liquid can be easily guided in the portion adjacent to the absorbent body 12, and the flexibility, etc. The touch can also be good.

  Regarding the high pressure parts 81 in the side grooves 60 and the front grooves 71 and the rear grooves 72, the height of the high pressure parts 81 formed in the front grooves 71 and the rear grooves 72 is the height formed in the side grooves 60. It is preferable that the height of the pressing part 81 is higher. As a result, it is possible to minimize the deformation of the ridge groove structure of the surface sheet 10 by the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72 while preventing leakage due to the diffusion of the liquid in the width direction in the side groove 60 as much as possible. In addition, there is an advantageous effect that the touch and the cushioning property are good, and the improvement of the fitting property due to the good flexibility can be expected. As a result of forming the high pressing portion in this way, the front groove 71 and the rear groove 72 may be seen as a broken line shape instead of a linearly continuous groove, but the gap between the high pressing portions is 2 in the topsheet. As long as the book does not straddle the book, the above-described effects are exhibited.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the depressions 22 formed in the topsheet 10 are arranged in a staggered pattern. When the arrangement state of the depressions 22 is as described above, there is an advantage that the liquid diffusion suppressing effect can be enhanced as compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. Moreover, also about the adaptability to the body shape of the napkin 1, the groove part 30 and the opening 31 which are between the collar part 20 extended in a longitudinal direction and the collar part 20 work as a flexible area | region and the depression part 22 As a result, the formation of wrinkles is prevented. The length along the longitudinal direction of the recessed portion 22 and the pitch of the recessed portions 22 along the longitudinal direction of the napkin 1 can be the same as those in the above-described embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, since the intermediate sheet and / or the absorber disposed on the underwear contact surface side and the recess 22 are fixed, each of the napkins 1 according to the necessary degree of flexibility or the like. The degree of formation of the recessed portion 22 can be changed by the portion. The formation part of the hollow part 22 may be a side part of the opening 31.

  Next, constituent materials and the like of the napkin 1 of the present embodiment will be described. Absorbent body 12 preferably comprises a mixture of wood fluff pulp and superabsorbent hydrogel particles. This mixture may be entirely covered with tissue paper and compressed to the required thickness. Moreover, the middle or high part may be formed by further stacking pulp or a mixture of pulp and hydrogel particles on the central part of the absorbent body of this configuration. In this case, it is preferable that the middle and high portions are formed at positions that do not exceed the side grooves 60, the front grooves 71, and the rear grooves 72. In addition, an air-through nonwoven fabric or a spunbonded nonwoven fabric made of synthetic fibers in which the fiber surface is hydrophilized with a surfactant can be used as an intermediate sheet between the top sheet and the absorbent body.

  As the back sheet 11, a liquid-impermeable or water-repellent material, for example, a film made of a thermoplastic resin, or a laminate of a nonwoven fabric can be used. A spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) nonwoven fabric or a spunbond-meltblown-meltblown-spunbond (SMMS) nonwoven fabric can also be used. The back sheet 11 may have moisture permeability. Examples of the back sheet having moisture permeability include a porous film obtained by extruding a resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin and fine particles incompatible with the thermoplastic resin into a film shape and uniaxially or biaxially stretching, and the above-described SMS nonwoven fabric. It is done.

  As the fibers constituting the top sheet 10, fibers conventionally used in the technical field such as natural fibers, semi-natural fibers, and synthetic fibers can be used without particular limitation. From the viewpoint of imparting flexibility to the topsheet 10 without causing clogging between fibers, it is preferable to use synthetic fibers. The blending amount of the synthetic fiber is preferably 50% by weight or more, more preferably 70% by weight or more of the entire surface sheet. Of course, you may comprise the surface sheet 10 from 100% of synthetic fiber. When the topsheet 10 is made of 100% synthetic fiber, the grooving structure is not easily crushed even under the condition where the body pressure of the wearer is applied, so that the air permeability along the groove 30 is good.

  Examples of the synthetic fiber used include core-sheath fibers and side-by-side fibers that are self-bonding fibers. In addition, single fibers and composite fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester can be used. From the viewpoint of the groove-shaped structure and the formability of the aperture shape, it is preferable to use a core-sheath structure fiber having polyethylene as a sheath component and a side-by-side fiber having a polyethylene portion. The (average) fineness of the fiber is preferably in the range of 1 to 6 dtex.

  It is preferable to use crimped fibers as the synthetic fibers because the cushioning property of the topsheet 10 is further improved. As the crimped fiber, either a two-dimensionally crimped fiber or a coiled three-dimensionally crimped fiber can be used. In particular, it is preferable that the surface sheet 10 includes fibers that are three-dimensionally crimped in a coil shape by application of heat. Such a fiber can be included in the topsheet 10 by using latent crimped fibers as a raw material. The latent crimped fiber is composed of, for example, an eccentric core-sheath type composite fiber or a side-by-side type composite fiber containing two types of thermoplastic resins having different shrinkage rates as components. Examples thereof include those described in JP-A-9-296325 and Japanese Patent No. 2759331.

  Even if a fiber that elongates by application of heat is used as the synthetic fiber, the cushioning property of the topsheet 10 is further enhanced, which is preferable. This is because clogging between fibers due to heat applied during the manufacture of the topsheet 10 is prevented. As such a fiber, for example, WO2007 / 66599 according to the previous application of the present applicant can be mentioned.

  When any of the above-described crimped fibers and heat-extensible fibers is used, it is preferable that those fibers are mixed in the surface sheet 10 in a total amount of 30 to 70% by weight.

  The top sheet 10 is preferably made hydrophilic. Examples of the hydrophilization method include a method of treating a hydrophobic non-woven fabric with a hydrophilizing agent. Moreover, the method of manufacturing a nonwoven fabric from the fiber which knead | mixed the hydrophilizing agent is mentioned. Further, there is a method of using a fiber having hydrophilicity inherently, for example, a natural or semi-natural fiber. Hydrophilicity can also be achieved by applying a surfactant after the production of the nonwoven fabric.

  Next, the suitable manufacturing method of the napkin 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the manufacturing method of the surface sheet 10 shown in FIG. 3 is demonstrated. The surface sheet 10 is manufactured by the fluid entanglement method using the apparatus shown in FIG. In the manufacturing method using this apparatus, (a) a fiber assembly is supplied, and the fiber assembly is formed on a fluid-permeable support for forming a wavy structure in a direction orthogonal to the supply direction of the fiber assembly. (B) a step of spraying a fluid to the fiber assembly located on the support to separate the constituent fibers so as to form a slotted groove structure and an opening; and (c) subsequently on the support. There is a step of spraying a fluid again on the fiber assembly positioned to make the fiber assembly in which the groove structure and the opening are formed into a nonwoven fabric.

  The apparatus 40 shown in FIG. 6 includes a fluid permeable support 50, a first injection nozzle 51, and a second injection nozzle 52. As shown in FIG. 7, the fluid permeable support 50 is a roll, and its peripheral surface is made of a fluid permeable material such as a mesh. On the peripheral surface of the support 50, convex portions and concave portions extending along the rotation direction of the roll are alternately formed in the axial direction of the roll. Thereby, a wave-like structure can be formed in the fiber assembly 53 which is a raw material of the topsheet 10 in a direction orthogonal to the supply direction. Projections 54 formed intermittently along the rotation direction of the roll are located on the tops of the protrusions. The protrusions 54 are arranged at regular intervals along the rotation direction of the roll. And when it sees along the axial direction of a roll, the projection part 54 is arrange | positioned so that it may be located on a straight line.

  The 1st injection nozzle 51 and the 2nd injection nozzle 52 are arrange | positioned so that the surrounding surface of the support body 50 may be opposed. Each of the nozzles 51 and 52 has a structure capable of ejecting fluid over the entire width of the support 50. In the nozzles 51 and 52, the first injection nozzle 51 is located on the upstream side and the second injection nozzle 52 is located on the downstream side in the supply direction of the fiber assembly 53 that is the raw material of the topsheet 10.

  In the step (a), the fiber assembly 53 is supplied to the fluid permeable support 50 rotating in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6 and conveyed while being held by the peripheral surface of the support 50. Is done. Next, in step (b), the fluid ejected from the first ejection nozzle is sprayed onto the fiber assembly 53 on the peripheral surface of the support 50. Due to the pressure of this fluid spraying, the fiber assembly 53 is displaced from the constituent fibers at the position of the convex portion 55 formed on the peripheral surface of the support 50 as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). Dividing occurs. By this separation, the constituent fibers move into the concave portions 56 located between the convex portions 55. That is, fiber distribution occurs.

  Further, when the protrusion 54 is formed on the top of the convex portion 55, as shown in FIG. 8C, the separation of the constituent fibers is further promoted, and the fiber assembly located on the protrusion 55 A hole is formed at 54. This hole becomes the opening 31 in the topsheet 10.

  As the fiber assembly, there can be used those in which fibers such as card web are not bonded or entangled, or the degree thereof is low, or those in which fibers such as nonwoven fabric are bonded or entangled. In particular, as a non-woven fabric, a non-woven fabric containing fibers having a fiber length of 30 mm or less and having no binder component itself, specifically, a dry type in which fibers between pulp fibers are fixed by a binder (adhesive component). It is preferable to use a pulp sheet.

  As the fluid used in this step, a liquid such as water and a gas such as air can be used. The type of fluid is selected according to the fiber assembly guided on the support 50. For example, when using a fiber assembly that is not bonded or entangled like a card web, it is preferable to use an air flow or a water vapor flow (steam jet). In the case of using a fiber assembly having bonds at fiber intersections, such as an air-through nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to use a water stream or a steam stream (steam jet). In the latter case, the grooving structure and the opening can be formed by the movement of the fiber while partly peeling the bond at the fiber intersection and keeping the degree of fiber entanglement low. In addition, it is possible to prevent clogging between the fibers. As described above, this step mainly forms the groove structure and the opening by the movement of the fiber, and the degree of the entanglement of the fiber is kept low.

  The above-mentioned water flow means a complete liquid flow such as water. A water vapor stream (steam jet) refers to a fluid stream of water that is not in a liquid state. When a liquid water flow or a water vapor flow (steam jet) is used, the fiber entanglement progresses as the fiber is located in the vicinity of the protrusion 55, and the fiber density of the portion tends to increase. In particular, when a nonwoven fabric is used as the fiber assembly (that is, re-nonwoven fabric), since the fiber 55 is hardly entangled with the convex portion 55, the cushion feeling inherent to the nonwoven fabric is maintained. On the other hand, the fibers located in the vicinity of the concave portion 56 and the protruding portion 55 are entangled, and the capillary gradient (density gradient) is relatively large with respect to the fibers located in the convex portion 55.

  When the groove structure and the opening are formed by spraying the fluid from the first injection nozzle 51 which is the step (b), then fiber entanglement is performed by spraying the fluid from the second injection nozzle 52 which is the step (c). And the fiber assembly is made into a nonwoven fabric (when a nonwoven fabric is used as the fiber assembly, it is made into a non-woven fabric). As the fluid used in this case, it is preferable to use a liquid water stream or a water vapor stream. By using these fluids, fiber entanglement can be performed efficiently. The above-mentioned re-non-woven fabric refers to the re-melting of the fiber from which the cut or fused portion of the fiber was peeled off in the previous step of forming the groove structure and the opening when the non-woven fabric was used as the fiber assembly. It means that the form as a nonwoven fabric is maintained by wearing or entanglement again.

  When the fluid sprayed to the fiber assembly 53 in the step (b) and the step (c) is concentrated on the convex portion 55 of the support body 50, the fluid pressure of the convex portion 55 is increased compared to the concave portion 56 of the support body 50. Therefore, it is preferable because the openability is improved. Moreover, it is preferable at the point which can make the fiber density of the edge part vicinity of a hole higher.

  When a steam flow is used as the fluid in the step (c), the steam flow from the second injection nozzle 52 is set to a relatively low temperature of 100 to 150 ° C. (a temperature lower than the fiber fusion temperature on the web). Thus, only fiber entanglement is performed. Since the water vapor stream has lower energy (injection pressure) than the liquid water stream (the dispersion of the fluid stream is large), it is preferable to use it when spraying the web rather than using a nonwoven fabric as the fiber assembly. This is because the movement of the fiber is easier in the web than in the non-woven fabric. However, even when a nonwoven fabric is used as the fiber assembly, the jet pressure that results in a weak fiber entangled state that does not recover the shape of the groove structure and the opening formed by the step (b) is caused by the steam flow. Can be given. Furthermore, in the case where the temperature of the water vapor flow is about 160 to 200 ° C., which is higher than the fiber fusion temperature on the web, even if the temperature is 20 ° C. or more higher than the fiber fusion temperature, the fibers in the fiber assembly The amount of heat applied is not so great that the resin constituting the fiber melts and flows strongly, and the flow of the resin does not always occur at the intersection of all fibers, so that the entire fiber assembly is not melted. It does not solidify. Therefore, even when the jet pressure of the water vapor flow is high and the fibers are in close proximity to each other, it is possible to perform fusion at the fiber intersection without causing fiber clogging.

  Since this fusion is performed by the water vapor flow blown from the second injection nozzle 52, a stronger pressure is applied to the fiber assembly in a short time compared to the air-through method, which is a known nonwoven fabric manufacturing technique. Therefore, the pressure is removed before the fusion at the fiber intersection is stabilized, that is, before the outflow of the fiber sheath component resin that spreads on the surface of each fiber and becomes a strong fusion point is fixed. As a result, the fibers are separated to form a bridging structure B as shown in FIG. Such a bridging structure is presumed to be caused by stretching the sheath component resin of one of the two fibers. This is because, although this fusion process is in a state of causing fiber fusion, the application of heat is completed in a relatively short time, so the resins constituting the fibers that cause fiber fusion fuse together to form a resin. This is because it is considered that there is an interface between the resins constituting each fiber that causes fiber fusion rather than a state in which the interface between them disappears. In addition, if elongation occurs near the interface between the resin, which is the fusion part that has caused fiber fusion, the interface is pulled, the fusion part is reduced, and the resins are separated at the interface. Because it is. For this reason, the bridging structure has a portion where the area of the joint portion is large but the resin is stretched and thinned. As a result, the obtained surface sheet 10 is improved in the degree of freedom of its constituent fibers, and the flexibility and cushioning properties are improved. On the other hand, since it is manufactured under a pressure stronger than that of the air-through method, it is easier to make a multi-intersection of more than two fibers. With such a structure, the strength of the topsheet 10 is improved.

  When a liquid water stream is used in step (b) and / or step (c), the surfactant used for imparting hydrophilicity may flow down from the fiber surface, so that the surface activity into the fiber may occur. It is preferable to use a kneaded agent or a natural / semi-natural hydrophilic fiber. Or it is preferable to apply | coat surfactant in a post process. On the other hand, when the water vapor flow is used, there is an advantage that the surfactant on the surface of the fiber is less likely to flow down and the surfactant can be easily collected at a part where the fiber density is high. As a result, when the water vapor flow is used, the fiber density of the portions located in the concave portions 56 and the projections 54 of the support 50 in the fiber assembly 53 is increased, so that the hydrophilicity of these portions can be inevitably increased. As an application example of this effect, there is a technique in which two or more kinds of surfactants to be applied to the fiber surface or surfactants kneaded into the fiber are used, and the water resistance of the surfactant is made different. This method is advantageous because the hydrophilic gradient can be designed more easily.

  In order to further control the fiber density of the obtained surface sheet 10, it is also preferable to subject the nonwoven fabric after the step (c) to a hot air treatment step. The hot air treatment has an effect of promoting the formation of a nonwoven fabric (bonding the fibers of the fiber assembly) and / or eliminating clogging between the fibers. In other words, in the step (c), from the viewpoint of preventing clogging, the fluid spraying condition may be weakened, and the hot air treatment step may be applied to compensate for the lack of fiber entanglement or fiber fusion resulting therefrom. preferable. Moreover, it is preferable to attach to the hot-air treatment process in order to recover the bulk of the nonwoven fabric in which clogging has occurred in the process (c) or to develop fiber deformation (crimping or stretching). In particular, when the steam flow is used in the step (c), the second spray nozzle 52 is used, so that the heat application step is completed in a shorter time than the air-through method. Therefore, from the viewpoint of stabilizing the heat-sealed state, it is desirable to perform a hot air treatment process at about 80 to 120 ° C. as a subsequent process of the process (c). Or it is preferable to perform the stabilization process which does not raise | generate a rapid temperature fall as a post process of the process of (c). The hot air treatment may be performed in one stage, or the hot air treatment for promoting the formation of a nonwoven fabric and the hot air treatment for restoring the bulk of the nonwoven fabric may be performed in a plurality of stages.

  When only the web is used as the fiber assembly in this production method, it is preferable to use an air flow or a water vapor flow in the step (b) and use a water vapor flow in the step (c). This is because clogging between fibers can be prevented, a flexible structure can be formed by forming a nonwoven fabric by fusing the fiber intersections, and the fiber density at the periphery of the apertures 31 can be easily increased. Further, when an air flow is used in the step (b), it is easy to form a liquid guide pipe in the opening 31. On the other hand, when the steam flow is used in the step (b), the scattering of the fibers is suppressed and the fluid pressure can be easily made higher than the air flow, so that the fibers are easily separated, and the cross-sectional shape of FIG. 4 is obtained. It becomes easy to improve flexibility such as cushioning. In addition, even if it uses a water vapor | steam flow at the process (b), it is possible to make a liquid introduction pipe structure and the cross-sectional shape of FIG.

  In this production method, when a water stream is used in the steps (b) and (c), it is preferable to use a nonwoven fabric having a fusion point at the fiber intersection. The reason for this is that fiber clogging can be prevented by the movement of fibers (formation of a density-enhanced portion) by the separation portion at the fiber intersection and the remaining fusion point. In this case, in the step (b), the nonwoven fabric is adapted to the shape of the support by applying a water flow so as to be substantially uniform over the entire nonwoven fabric, and in the step (c), the grooves 30 including the openings 31 are It is preferable from the viewpoint of facilitating re-entanglement by facilitating peeling of the fusion point and making the water pressure in the step (c) higher than (b) by facilitating entanglement by blowing a stronger water flow than the part 20. Further, when a method of supplying a fiber assembly 53 by using a laminate of a web and a nonwoven fabric as a fiber assembly 53 or by laminating both webs and a nonwoven fabric while supplying the fiber assembly 53, (B) and ( Integration of the two can be promoted in step c). The nonwoven fabric produced in this way has a structure (integrated structure) that can easily guide the liquid from the top portion 21 of the collar portion 20 to the end portion of the opening 31. In this case, it is preferable to use a nonwoven fabric from the viewpoint of preventing fiber clogging in the web and the nonwoven fabric from which water is directly sprayed.

  When a non-woven fabric is used as the fiber assembly 53 and the non-woven fabric is separately guided onto the support before the step (b), the flexibility and cushioning properties of the resulting non-woven fabric can be improved. In addition, when using a nonwoven fabric as the fiber assembly 53, if the fibers are strongly bonded or entangled in the nonwoven fabric, fiber movement in the step (b) may be difficult to occur, so before the step (b), It is also preferable to subject the non-woven fabric to a portion to be positioned in the concave portion 56 of the support 50.

  The sheet thus obtained is placed on the absorbent body 12, and a side groove 60, a front groove 71, and a rear groove 72, which are joined and integrated using a pressing device such as an embossing device. Form. In forming these grooves, heat may or may not be applied. After these grooves are formed, the top sheet 10 is pushed in the width direction of the top sheet 10 by using a device for pushing the top sheet 10 to form the recess 22. In the pressing of the top sheet 10, (I) a method in which only the top sheet 10 is pressed and the absorber 12 is not pressed, and (II) the absorber 12 is also pressed together with the pressing of the top sheet 10, and the two are joined and integrated. Any of the methods can be adopted.

  In both cases of the methods (I) and (II), when the intermediate sheet is disposed between the top sheet 10 and the absorbent body 12, the side grooves 60, the front grooves 71, and the rear grooves 72 are formed. The recess 22 can be formed before the process. In the method (I), when the hot melt adhesive is partially applied between the top sheet 10 and the absorber 12 (to the extent that liquid permeability is not impaired), It is preferable because the recessed portion 22 that is easily separated can be easily brought close to the absorbent body 12 and the liquid migration can be stabilized.

  When the method (I) is adopted, a device that can be pushed in at a pinpoint, such as a pin embossing device, is used as the pushing device. When the recess 22 of the topsheet 10 is formed by this method, there is an advantage that the liquid permeability of the topsheet 10 is improved. When the method (II) is adopted, a roll-type embossing device similar to the embossing device used for forming the side grooves 60 and the like described above is used as the pushing device. Moreover, by using this apparatus, two or more parts having different thicknesses can be easily formed in the part of the topsheet 10 where the recess 22 is formed. When the recess 22 of the topsheet 10 is formed by the method (II), there is an advantage that the liquid transfer property from the topsheet 10 to the absorber 12 is improved.

  After the top sheet 10 and the absorbent body 12 have been processed in this way, the top sheet and the like are then processed according to a conventional method together with the back sheet 11 and the leak-proof cover sheet 14 to be the target. Napkin 1 is obtained.

  In the above manufacturing method, after combining the sheet manufactured using the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 with the absorbent body 12, the recess portion 22 is formed in the flange portion 20. Before the combination with 12, the recess portion 22 may be formed in the flange portion 20 and then combined with the absorbent body 12. In this case, for example, if a pair of blade groove rolls shown in FIG. 9 is used, and a sheet 22 manufactured using the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. Good. In this case, the sheet is passed between the rolls so that the flanges and the grooves formed on the sheet are orthogonal to the axial direction of the roll. The blade groove roll shown in FIG. 9 has a shape in which convex portions (blades) and concave portions (grooves) extending in the axial direction of the roll are alternately arranged along the rotation direction of the roll. The pair of blade groove rolls are in mesh with each other, and a sheet is inserted into the meshing part of both rolls.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the preferable embodiment, this invention is not restrict | limited to the said embodiment. For example, the shape of the flange portion 20 in the top sheet 10 in the embodiment is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 4, and for example, the second surface 10 b side has a contour that draws a smooth and gentle curve upward. In some cases, the second surface 10b side may be flat. Such a difference in shape mainly depends on the manufacturing conditions of the topsheet 10.

  Moreover, although each said embodiment is an example which applied this invention to the sanitary napkin, this invention is applicable similarly to absorbent articles other than this. As such an absorbent article, a blood-sucking pad, an incontinence pad, a disposable diaper etc. are mentioned, for example.

It is the top view which looked at the sanitary napkin which is one Embodiment of the absorbent article of this invention from the surface sheet side. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the principal part of the surface sheet used for the napkin shown in FIG. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the principal part near the front groove | channel or back groove | channel in the surface sheet used for the napkin shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the apparatus which manufactures the surface sheet shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the fluid-permeable support body in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the manufacturing process of the surface sheet using the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the blade groove | channel roll used suitably for manufacture of the surface sheet shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Sanitary napkin (absorbent article)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Top surface sheet 11 Back surface sheet 12 Absorber 13 Wing part 20 Eaves part 22 Recessed part 30 Groove part 31 Opening 60 Side groove 81 High pressing part 82 Low pressing part

Claims (4)

It is a vertically long absorbent article provided with a surface sheet on the skin contact surface side, a back sheet on the non-skin contact surface side, and an absorbent body between the two sheets,
The top sheet has alternating vertical eaves and grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the article,
In the collar portion, a hollow portion recessed in the sheet thickness direction is intermittently formed along the longitudinal direction of the article,
The depth (D2) from the collar part top part of the sheet | seat thickness direction of the said recessed part is an absorbent article which is more than half of the thickness (D1) of the surface sheet in the said collar part. When viewed along the width direction of the article, the depressions are linearly formed to form a depression part row, and the depression part row is formed at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the article. A number of apertures are formed intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the article in the groove where the recess is disposed,
When viewed along the width direction of the article, the opening is adjacent to a portion where the recess is not formed in the flange, and the portion where the opening is not formed in the groove is a recess of the flange. The absorbent article of Claim 1 which adjoins a part.   The absorptive article according to claim 1 or 2 whose thickness of a part in which said hollow part is formed among said surface sheets is 3-20% of thickness of a surface sheet in said ridge part. A front groove and a rear groove formed by integrally compressing the topsheet and the absorbent body are formed in front and rear end regions in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article so as to extend in the width direction of the article, respectively.
In the front groove and the lateral groove, along the direction in which these grooves extend, high-pressure parts and low-pressure parts are alternately formed,
The absorptive article according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in which said high pressing part and said low pressing part have a longitudinal direction length longer than a longitudinal direction length of said hollow part.