JP2002065406A - Air mat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air mat which has a flat sun face and gives a stable and soft feeling. SOLUTION: The air mat 1 is composed of a plurality of rectangular hollow air cells 2 set in cover 6. Air with a specified pressure is charged in the air cells. The middle part of air cells 8 is more softly formed than parts of both ends 9 by forming the middle part more thiner than the both ends 9 or the middle part soft elastomer. A sun face of the whole air mat becomes flat and the middle part on which a patient lies is maintained a soft feeling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air mat capable of preventing or reducing floor rubbing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a mattress having a structure using a sponge such as urethane foam has been known. This type of sponge mattress has the problem that it takes time to sterilize bacteria when it enters the center of the sponge, that the parts that gain weight are permanently deformed by prolonged use, and that the posture when sitting is unstable In addition, there are inconveniences such as being stiff and unsuitable for patients who tend to rub the floor such as sick or elderly people. In recent years, instead of such a sponge mattress, an air mat having a structure in which a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped air cells are arranged has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
0-313981). In the mattress structure disclosed in this publication, since the surface of the mattress structure constitutes a continuous flat surface of the rectangular parallelepiped air cell, a feeling substantially similar to that of the conventional sponge mattress is obtained, and thus only the sick person who is liable to rub the floor is obtained. But also has the advantage that it can be used by healthy persons.

[0003]

However, in the structure disclosed in the above publication, a soft material must be used for the resin constituting the air cell in order to soften the feel when the patient lays down. When air is sealed in the air cell, the pressure of the air cell causes the air cell to expand in a circular cross section, the rectangular parallelepiped is not maintained, and the characteristic of the rectangular parallelepiped air cell that supports the body on a flat surface is not utilized. To cope with this, if the air cell is to be maintained in a rectangular parallelepiped against the pressure of the air sealed in the air cell, it is necessary to form the air cell with a hard resin that does not deform even under the air pressure. This time, the patient feels hard, and there is a problem that a comfortable sleep cannot be obtained.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an air mat that can obtain both opposing characteristics of a rectangular parallelepiped shape and softness.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention (claim 1) provides:
In an air mat in which a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped air cells having elasticity are continuously arranged, the air cell is formed such that an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is softer than both end portions.

In such a configuration, both end portions of the rectangular parallelepiped air cell have shape-maintaining properties, and an intermediate portion in contact with the patient's body has flexibility. When the internal pressure of the air cell is not large enough to deform the cuboid shape of the air cell, the air cell is maintained as a cuboid as a whole. Also, when the internal pressure of the air cell is increased, a force that expands in a circular cross section acts on the middle part, but since both ends are maintained in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the degree of deformation is restricted by this and the degree of deformation is small and the rectangular parallelepiped is maintained Is done.

In the present invention (claim 2), the air cell is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the thickness of the intermediate portion is smaller than the thickness of both end portions. In such a configuration, the middle portion of the air cell is softer than both end portions on both sides due to the small thickness.

In the present invention (claim 3), the air cell has a two-layer structure of a surface layer and an inner layer, the surface layer is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the inner layer is formed of a thermoplastic resin. Things. In such a configuration,
The surface layer acts to soften the feel, while the inner layer acts to maintain the cuboid shape.

In the present invention (claim 4), the air cell has a two-layer structure of a surface layer and an inner surface layer, the surface layer is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the inner layer is formed of a thermoplastic resin. The intermediate portion is formed such that the thickness of the surface layer is thicker than the both end portions, the thickness of the inner surface layer is thinner, and the thickness of the upper front surface layer is smaller at the both end portions than the middle portion. The inner surface layer is formed to be thin and thick. In such a configuration, the middle portion of the air cell is soft because the surface layer is thick and the inner surface layer is thin, and the both end portions are excellent in the action of maintaining the rectangular parallelepiped shape because the inner surface layer is thick.

In the present invention (claim 5), the air cell is formed by a blow molding method. With such a method, when the air cell is formed of one or two layers of thermoplastic resin and thermoplastic elastomer, the thickness control is performed with high precision.

In the present invention (claim 6), a recess is formed in an intermediate portion of a side surface in the longitudinal direction of the air cell. In such a configuration, when the weight is applied to the air cell, the degree of deformation of the recessed portion is large. Therefore, the air cell uniformly supports the patient's body at the intermediate portion, and the patient's body is supported by a wide area.

According to the present invention (claim 7), in the air mat in which a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped air cells having elasticity are continuously arranged and accommodated in a flat rectangular parallelepiped cover, A folded portion is formed on the lower surface between the adjacent air cells, and when the air mat is gatched up, the folded portion opens in an inverted V-shape and the cover is bent. In such a configuration, when the upper body is raised by the gatch-up of the bed, the cover of the air mat is opened in an inverted V-shape, and the upper surface of the cover is easily bent without wrinkles.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rectangular parallelepiped air mat, in which a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped air cells 2 having elasticity are continuously arranged adjacent to each other. The longitudinal direction y of each air cell 2 coincides with the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction x of the air mat 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes an air supply / exhaust section formed at the end of the air cell 2, which is connected to a common tube 4, and has a structure in which all the air cells 2 are simultaneously supplied and exhausted. Reference numeral 5 denotes a valve attached to one end of the tube 4, which is connected to an air pump (not shown) during an air supply operation. Numeral 6 denotes a cover for accommodating the air cells 2, which is formed by sewing a cloth, and has a shape substantially equal to the outer shape of the group of air cells 2 in order to prevent free movement of the air cells 2. 7
Is a zipper provided on the side surface of the cover 6 and is opened when the air cell 2 is taken in and out of the cover 6.

In the horizontal structure, all the air cells 2 are communicated with each other via the tube 4. This is because it is easy to make all the internal pressures of the air cells 2 constant, especially in general households. This eliminates the difficulty of adjusting the internal pressure in the case of a single air cell. However, in the air mat 1 in which the internal pressure is set for each air cell 2 alone, for example, the internal pressure of the air cell 2 corresponding to the portion where floor rubbing occurs needs to be controlled, the internal pressure may be set for each air cell 2 alone. it can.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show the structure of the air cell 2, in which the inside of an elongated hollow rectangular parallelepiped is a closed space, and a supply / exhaust portion 3 is formed on an end face. Numeral 8 is formed to be thin at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the air cell 2, while both end portions 9, 9 are formed to be thicker than this. The thickness of the transition portion 10 at the boundary between the intermediate portion 8 and both end portions 9 is gradually changed. The length of the middle part 8 is set to be at least longer than the width of the human body, so that when the patient lies on the air cell 2 it will touch this middle part 2. Air cell 3
Can be formed by a blow molding method using a thermoplastic elastomer such as a polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer as a material. As an example of the size of the air cell 2, a square of 12 cm in length and width, 83 cm in length, 65 cm in length of the intermediate portion 8, 5 cm in length of the transition portion 10, 1.0 mm in thickness of the intermediate portion 8, and both ends 9 Can have a thickness of 2.0 mm. The material used is a polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer having a hardness (JISA) of 50.
Approximately 60 is desirable in terms of softness and elasticity.
The air pressure sealed in the air cell 2 is about 100 mmA
q. With such a configuration, the air cell 2 is pushed by an elastic rectangular parallelepiped, and the intermediate portion 8 contacting the patient comes into contact with the patient with a surface, so that there is no uncomfortable feeling and the touch is soft.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a modification of the air cell structure in which the maintainability of the rectangular parallelepiped shape is further improved. The air cell 2 has a two-layer structure of a surface layer 11 and an inner layer 12. The surface layer 11 is formed of the same thermoplastic elastomer as described above, and the inner layer 12 is formed of a harder thermoplastic resin such as a polyolefin resin such as a polypropylene resin. The thickness of the inner surface layer 12 is substantially constant, and may be, for example, 0.2 mm. Note that the outer shape of the air cell 2 is the same as that of the above-described example, that is, the intermediate portion 8 can be formed thin and both end portions 9 can be formed thick. With such a structure, the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the air cell 2 is unlikely to change even when subjected to internal pressure due to the presence of the inner surface layer 12, and a more flat human body contact surface can be obtained. Polyolefin-based materials are suitable as thermoplastic resin and thermoplastic elastomer materials because they do not generate harmful gases when incinerated and do not adversely affect the environment.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show still another modification of the air cell structure. The air cell 2 comprises a surface layer 11 and an inner surface layer 12 as described above, but the intermediate portion 8 and both end portions 9 have the same thickness 2. 0.0 mm. However, in the intermediate portion 8, the surface layer 11 is
For example, the thickness of the surface layer 11 is 1.8 mm and the thickness of the inner layer is 0.2 mm, so that the intermediate portion 8 is softer than the end portions 9. At this time, both ends 9
The thickness of the surface layer 11 can be 1 mm, and the thickness of the inner layer can be 1 mm. Air cell 2 according to these modifications
Can also be formed by a blow molding method. According to the blow molding method, when the two-layer structure of the surface layer 11 and the inner surface layer 12 is used, the respective thicknesses can be adjusted with high precision, and a polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer and a polyolefin-based resin are used as the materials. If used, they are firmly welded in a parison state because of their good compatibility. As the air supply / exhaust portion 3 of the air cell 2, an air blowing port at the time of blow molding is used.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show still another modification of the air cell 2, in which a side surface of an intermediate portion 8 of the air cell 2 has a substantially V-shaped section.
A pair of letter-shaped recesses 13 are formed. Due to the presence of the recess 13, the intermediate portion 8 has a bellows structure and is easily deformed in the vertical direction, so that when the weight is applied to this portion, it is felt soft. Further, since the recess 13 is not formed in the both end portions 9, this portion is hardly deformed, and functions to support the patient's body from both sides. The figure shows a case where the entire air cell 2 is made of one layer of resin or elastomer having the same thickness. In addition, a structure in which the above-mentioned intermediate portion is made thinner, or a two-layer having a surface layer and an inner surface layer Applicable to structures.

FIG. 11 shows the structure of the cover 6. Reference numeral 14 denotes a fold formed in the middle of the lower surface of the cover 6, and the air mat 1 is spaced apart from the air cell 2 (FIG. 1) by a distance equal to the width of the air cell 2.
Are provided in parallel in the short side direction y (FIG. 1). When the patient lays on the upper part of the air mat 1, the folded portion 14 is formed at an intermediate portion where the waist is located, and the height thereof is about half the height of the air mat 1.
The air cell 2 is arranged between the folding portions 14. In addition,
The air cell housed in this cover does not have a structure in which the middle part is softer than the both ends as described above,
It may be a rectangular parallelepiped air cell having a uniform thickness.

FIG. 12 shows a case in which the air mat 1 is placed on the gatch-up bed 15 and is gatched up. The folded portion 14 of the air mat 1 opens in an inverted V shape, the air mat 1 bends without difficulty, and wrinkles are formed on the surface of the cover 6. More difficult. As shown in FIG. 13, when the air cell 2 is stored in the cover 17 having the conventional structure, since the folded portion does not exist, the lower surface of the cover 17 does not extend even when the bed 15 is raised, so that the air cell 2 is hardly bent. The wrinkles 18 on the surface of 17 may make the patient more uncomfortable. In addition, a pressing force indicated by an arrow p is applied to the surface of the air mat 1 in the direction of the bent portion, and this may be felt as discomfort. However, such a problem does not occur in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0021]

According to the present invention (claim 1), since the air cells are formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped and a plurality of the air cells are arranged continuously, the air mat surface becomes a flat surface, and the contact area with the patient's body increases. , Can support the patient in a stable state. In addition, by setting the intermediate portion softer than both end portions, it is possible to maintain the rectangular parallelepiped shape at both end portions, and to achieve both the effects of obtaining softness at the intermediate portion. Further, according to the present invention, since both ends are structured so as to be harder and less deformable than the intermediate portion, the patient is supported from both sides, and when sitting on the air mat, the posture is stabilized by the shape maintaining action of the both ends. can do.

According to the present invention (claim 2), the air cell is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, so that a soft touch can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention (claims 3 and 4), since the shape is maintained in the inner surface layer, the deformation of the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the elastomer can be suppressed to a smaller extent. Even so, the surface of the air mat can be maintained flat. In addition, since the surface layer is made of an elastomer, the soft feel of the surface is maintained.

Further, according to the present invention (claim 5), since the air cell is formed by the blow molding method, the hollow rectangular parallelepiped air cell can be easily formed, and the thickness thereof can be arbitrarily controlled. it can. Therefore, shape maintenance and softness can be arbitrarily controlled by adjusting the thickness or the thickness of the surface layer and the inner surface layer. That is, when giving priority to shape maintenance over softness, the thickness of the resin layer is set to be thicker in the case of one layer, and the resin layer is set to be thicker than the elastomer layer in the case of a two-layer structure. If priority is given to softness, the opposite may be set.

Further, according to the present invention (claim 6), when the weight of the patient is increased, the amount of deformation of the intermediate portion forming the recess is large, so that the patient's body can be supported over a wide area, and the body pressure can be increased. Can be further dispersed.

According to the present invention (claim 7),
When you gatch up the air mat on the bed,
Since the lower surface of the cover is extended due to the spread of the folded portion, the air mat is smoothly bent, and no wrinkles are formed at the bent portion of the upper surface of the cover that comes into contact with the human body, so that the patient does not feel uncertain.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an air mat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an air cell.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example structure of an air cell.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example structure of an air cell.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the structure of the air cell.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another modified structure of the air cell.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing still another modified structure of the air cell.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a cover.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state where the air mat is placed on a gatch-up bed.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a cover having a conventional structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air mat 2 Air cell 3 Supply / exhaust part 4 Tube 5 Valve 6 Cover 8 Middle part 9 Both ends 10 Transition part 11 Surface layer 12 Inner surface layer 13 Concave part 14 Folding part

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An air mat in which a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped air cells having elasticity are continuously arranged, wherein the air cells are formed such that an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is softer than both end portions. Air mat to do. 2. The air mat according to claim 1, wherein the air cell is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the thickness of the intermediate portion is smaller than the thickness of both end portions. 3. The air cell has a two-layer structure of a surface layer and an inner surface layer, and the surface layer is made of a thermoplastic elastomer.
3. The air mat according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface layer is formed of a thermoplastic resin. 4. The air cell has a two-layer structure of a surface layer and an inner surface layer, and the surface layer is made of a thermoplastic elastomer,
The inner surface layer is formed of a thermoplastic resin, and the intermediate portion is thicker on the front side than the both end portions, the thickness of the inner surface layer is formed thinner, and the both end portions are The thickness of the surface calendar is thinner than the middle part,
The air mat according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface layer is formed to have a large thickness. 5. The air mat according to claim 2, wherein the air cells are formed by a blow molding method. 6. The air mat according to claim 1, wherein a recess is formed in an intermediate portion of a side surface in a longitudinal direction of the air cell. 7. An air mat in which a plurality of hollow rectangular parallelepiped air cells having elasticity are successively arranged and accommodated in a flat rectangular parallelepiped cover, wherein the air cell adjacent to the lower surface of the cover is provided. An air mat, wherein when the air mat is gatched up, the folded portion opens in an inverted V-shape and the cover is bent.