JP5580649B2 - Air cushion - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air cushion that is used in a seat portion of a wheelchair, for example, and more particularly to an air cushion that can adjust one thickness in the left-right direction to a thickness different from the other thickness.

  Conventionally, for example, an air cushion has been proposed in order to suppress the occurrence of bed slip when, for example, a user is sitting in the same posture for a long time (for example, Patent Document 1). The air cushion generally has a flat compartment (gas accommodating portion) made of a sheet-like or thin-film resin material. In use, the compartment is filled with a gas such as air, and the compartment is expanded in the thickness direction to change its shape and form a cushion. Unlike the case of low-resilience urethane, solid gel, etc., the gas filled inside can disperse pressure throughout, so the pressure applied from the cushion side to the part where the user's weight is applied, such as the buttocks, is reduced. And generation | occurrence | production of a bed slip can be suppressed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-065284

  By the way, it is known that the human body has an inclination on either the left or right side, but if the inclination becomes severe, the spine is distorted, resulting in various health problems. In particular, when sitting for a long time, there is a tendency to keep the head straight, so that the inclination of the human body is likely to proceed. However, there has been no cushion that can correct the inclination of the human body.

  This invention is made | formed based on such a situation, and it aims at providing the air cushion which can correct the inclination in the right and left of a human body.

  One aspect of the present invention is arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, and swells in a thickness direction from a flat shape by being filled with a gas through a gas introduction / exhaust portion that introduces or exhausts gas provided in each support portion. An air cushion having a right side support and a left side support that supports the vicinity of the buttocks and thighs of a seated person, the right side support and the left side support being arranged on the front side A first compartment that is parallel to the first compartment in the left-right direction, and a second compartment that is disposed at a position closer to the other support side than the first compartment; It is arranged on the rear side, communicates with the first compartment and the second compartment, and has a larger volume than the first compartment and the second compartment, and the first compartment and the second compartment A third ward room that swells to the same height as the second ward room A, the gas Shirubehai portion is provided to each of the right support portion and the left support portion, the right support portion is characterized in that the said left support portion are non-communicating.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the air cushion which can correct the inclination in the right and left of a human body can be provided.

It is a front view of the air cushion of this embodiment. It is a side view of the air cushion of this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the air cushion of this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the air cushion 1 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the air cushion 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the air cushion 1 of the present embodiment.

The air cushion 1 according to the present embodiment has a substantially square shape in plan view, and is not particularly limited. The air cushion 1 varies depending on the amount of air to be filled. ), 35 cm (W) in the left-right direction and 7 cm (H) in the thickness direction. The air cushion 1 includes a right side support part 21 and a left side support part 23 that are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction and support the vicinity of a seated person's buttocks and thighs. The right support part 21 and the left support part 23 are configured such that the air cushion 1 before air filling has a symmetrical shape with the center line L as a boundary.
Each of the right side support part 21 and the left side support part 23 (hereinafter also referred to as each support part 21, 23) is composed of three compartments, which are flattened by being filled with gas (air). As shown in FIG. 1, the shape changes to a swelled state in the thickness direction. The said air is introduce | transduced into one compartment which comprises a support part via the air valve 19 provided in each side part of each support part 21 and 23. As shown in FIG.

  First, the structure of the compartment which each support part 21 and 23 has in the air cushion 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, each support part 21 and 23 which comprises the air cushion 1 of this embodiment has the 1st division chamber 11, the 2nd division chamber 13, and the 3rd division chamber 15. As shown in FIG. . In FIG. 1, in order to facilitate understanding, a boundary line 12 that displays the boundaries of the compartments is shown in a seal portion between the compartments.

  The first compartment 11 is formed on the front side in the front-rear direction of the cushion, and mainly supports the thigh portion of the seated person, depending on the posture of the seated person. In the present embodiment, the first compartment 11 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. In the present embodiment, air is introduced into each of the first compartments 11 of each support portion 2123 on the side surface in the X-axis direction into the compartments constituting the support portion, and is accommodated in each compartment. An air valve 19 (corresponding to a gas guide / exhaust section) having a check valve for discharging the air that has been discharged to the outside is provided.

  The second compartment 13 is formed on the front side in the front-rear direction of the cushion, like the first compartment 11, and at a position closer to the other support portion than the first compartment 11 in the left-right direction. In the same manner as the first compartment 11, the thigh portion of the seated person is mainly supported. Further, the second compartment 13 formed at the position has a substantially trapezoidal shape in a plan view extending to the rear side of the cushion in the front-rear direction so as to match with the shapes of the buttocks and the thighs.

  The third compartment 15 is formed at a position adjacent to the first compartment 11 and the second compartment 13 on the rear side in the front-rear direction of the cushion, and mainly supports the occupant's buttocks. The third ward room 15 has a larger volume than the first ward room 11 and the second ward room 13 so as to swell to the same height as the first ward room 11 and the second ward room. Is set. In the present specification, the fact that the third compartment 15 swells to the same height as the first compartment 11 and the second compartment is 40 to 60% of the air that can be accommodated in one support section. Means that the third compartment can swell to the same height as the first and second compartments when the support is filled. In this case, the surface area of the polyurethane in the portion corresponding to the third compartment can be appropriately set by adjusting the position of sealing by those skilled in the art.

  The above compartments 11, 13, and 15 constituting the support portions 21 and 23 are partitioned by the boundary line 12 by a seal. Further, in the present embodiment, the first compartment 11, the second compartment 13, and the third compartment constituting the support portions 21 and 23 are on the boundary line 12 between adjacent compartments. Are communicated with each other via a small-diameter (for example, 6 mm) communication port 17. Therefore, when pressure is applied to one of the compartments from the outside, the air slowly moves to another adjacent compartment. Therefore, the seated portion of the seated person is supported with a uniform pressure over the entire air cushion 1, so that the occurrence of a bed slip or the like can be prevented. In particular, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the support portions 21 and 23 are not in communication, and the air in one support portion does not move to the other support portion. Therefore, since the air moves only in one of the support portions, the pressure becomes uniform faster than the case where the air moves throughout.

  In the present embodiment, one communication port 17 is positioned at a substantially middle portion of the boundary line 12 and is provided between each compartment. Further, a string-like body (not shown) such as a cloth string, a rubber string, a synthetic resin string, and a paper string is inserted into each communication port 17, and the inner surfaces of polyurethane overlapped by the string-like bodies are attached to each other. Abrupt movement of air between compartments due to attachment and pressing is prevented. In other words, the communication port 1 can have an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of a typical weft thread, for example.

  The air cushion 1 of the present embodiment includes a right support portion 21 and a left support portion 23 that have the first partition chamber 11, the second partition chamber 13, and the third partition chamber 15 described above in parallel in the left-right direction. It is prepared. In the present embodiment, first compartments, second compartments, and third compartments, which will be described later, between the right support portion 21 and the left support portion 23 are left and right with the center line L as a boundary. Arranged symmetrically. And in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, between the said right side support part 21 and the left side support part 23, the communication port is not provided, Therefore, it is a non-communication. That is, the air introduced through the air valve 19 provided in the first compartment 11 moves only within the support portion and does not move to the other support portion.

  Next, an example of how to use the air cushion 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In use, the air cushion 1 is inflated by filling the right support part 21 and the left support part 23 with air. Specifically, first, the plug of the air valve 19 is opened, and then an air discharge port of an air filling pump (not shown) is attached to the air valve 19, and the air is supplied to each support portion 21 using the air filling pump. 23. The introduced air fills the first compartment 11 and moves to the second compartment 13 and the third compartment 15 via the communication port 17.

  By introducing air, each of the compartments constituting the support portions 21 and 23 swells in the thickness direction and changes its shape. Here, in this embodiment, since the right side support part 21 and the left side support part 23 are not connected, the support part can be expanded so that the right side support part 21 and the left side support part 23 have different thicknesses. Therefore, since the thickness can be adjusted so that the left and right thicknesses in the air cushion 1 are different, if the thickness of the support portion that supports the side on which the body is inclined is larger than the thickness of the other support portion, the body of the seated person Can be corrected.

  The amount of air introduced into each of the support portions 21 and 23 can be set as appropriate in consideration of the seated person's preference, sitting height, height, degree of inclination, and the like. The amount of air in each of the support portions 21 and 23 can be adjusted according to the amount to be introduced, and after introducing a larger amount of air than desired, the excess is discharged from the air valve 19. You may make it adjust with. In the present embodiment, a check valve (not shown) is provided inside the air valve 19, and the amount of air can be easily adjusted by opening and closing the valve.

  The air cushion 1 into which air has been introduced can be used in the same manner as a normal cushion, and can be used, for example, by storing it in a cloth cover or the like and placing it in a sitting position. The air cushion 1 can be used particularly suitably in, for example, a wheelchair when the seated person is sitting for a long time.

  The method for manufacturing the air cushion of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set by those skilled in the art. For example, one sheet-like polyurethane is folded and overlapped, the outer periphery excluding the boundary line 12 and the folding line portion when overlapping is formed to form the left and right support parts, and then the support parts along the center line L You may make it manufacture an air cushion by joining. Alternatively, two sheets of polyurethane may be overlapped and sealed to form a compartment, and the two sheets may be joined to produce an air cushion.

  The manufacturing method will be described as an example. First, an opening is provided in a portion of each support portion that forms the side surface of the first compartment 11, and an air valve 19 is attached to the opening and bonded by welding or the like. Next, a string-like body is arranged at a portion where the communication port 17 is formed. The said string-like body is adhere | attached and fixed to the part used as the inside of a sheet | seat. Next, the sheet-like polyurethane is folded around the side portions in the left-right direction of each support portion 23 and overlapped, and the portions corresponding to the sides of the compartments of the overlapped portions are removed except for the portions serving as the communication ports 17. Then, the first compartment 11, the second compartment 13, and the third compartment 15 are formed for each support portion. The sealing method can be heat sealing, impulse sealing, high frequency sealing, ultrasonic sealing, and the like. The left and right support portions thus formed are joined together along the center line L by welding so that the second compartments and the third compartments face each other, thereby forming an air cushion 1.

  As described above, according to the air cushion 1 of the present embodiment, the left and right support portions 21 and 23 each have the air valve 19 and are not in communication, so the thickness of the left and right support portions is adjusted to the inclination of the seated person. Can be different. Therefore, it is possible to correct the inclination of the seated person. In particular, in this embodiment, the first compartments between the left and right support portions, the second compartments, and the third compartments are arranged symmetrically, so that it is more effective. The inclination of the seated person can be corrected.

  Further, according to the air cushion 1 of the present embodiment, the right support portion and the left support portion are not communicated, and air is circulated between adjacent compartments in each of the right support portion and the left support portion. Since the communication port 17 is provided, the inclination of the seated person can be corrected, and the pressure becomes uniform faster than the case where the air moves as a whole.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and other embodiments can of course be used. For example, in this embodiment, the communication port is positioned at the substantially midpoint portion of one side where the ward rooms are adjacent to each other, and is provided between each ward room, but is not limited thereto. It may be provided at the position, and a plurality may be provided between the compartments.

  In the present embodiment, the air cushion is formed of sheet-like polyurethane, but may be formed of other materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or natural rubber.

  Furthermore, as for the air valve 19, other shapes and systems can be used, and it is of course possible to form the air valve 19 at a position different from the present embodiment.

  Furthermore, although each compartment is formed by sealing the overlapping part, each compartment may be formed by other methods.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air cushion 11 1st section room 13 1st section room 15 1st section room 17 Communication port 19 Air valve 21 Right side support part 23 Left side support part

Claims (3)

The shape changes from a flat shape to a swelled in the thickness direction by being filled with gas through a gas guide / exhaust portion that is arranged in parallel in the left-right direction and introduces or discharges the gas provided in each support portion, An air cushion comprising a right side support part and a left side support part that support the vicinity of a seated person's buttocks and thighs,
The right support part and the left support part communicate with the first compartment in parallel with the first compartment in the left-right direction and the first compartment disposed on the front side, A second compartment disposed at a position closer to the other support part than the first compartment, and a rear compartment, communicated with the first compartment and the second compartment. Each of the first compartment and the third compartment has a volume larger than that of the first compartment and the second compartment and swells to the same height as the first compartment and the second compartment.
The gas guide / exhaust portion is provided on each of the right and left side support portions in the lateral direction of the first compartment and communicates with the first compartment,
In the second and third compartments, air is introduced or exhausted through the first compartment,
The right support part is an air cushion that is not in communication with the left support part.     The first compartment, the second compartment, and the third compartment constituting the right support portion and the left support portion are provided with communication ports that allow air to flow between adjacent compartments. The air cushion according to claim 1.     The first partition chamber, the second partition chamber, and the third partition chamber between the right support portion and the left support portion are arranged so as to be symmetrical. 2. The air cushion according to 2.

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