JP7470666B2 - mattress - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a mattress.

One type of bedding used by people when they sleep or rest is a mattress made of elastic urethane foam. Because mattresses are used when people lie down to sleep or rest, various measures have been taken to ensure that people are kept as comfortable as possible when lying down on them.

JP 2001-327367 A JP 2002-306285 A JP 2007-111423 A JP 2005-137596 A JP 2000-152854 A JP 2010-148819 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-103979 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-91058 Utility Model Registration No. 3025612

One indicator of comfort when a person lies down on a mattress is the load distribution. When a person lies down on a mattress, there is a demand for the mattress to distribute the load appropriately, allowing the person to maintain a comfortable sleeping or resting state.

A mattress according to an embodiment of the present invention is a rectangular mattress having a plurality of elastic portions located above the bottom of the grooves and a support portion located below the bottom of the grooves, separated by grooves formed along both the short and long directions of the mattress, wherein the width of the bottom surface of the elastic portion is the distance between the bottoms of the two grooves, each of the plurality of elastic portions is connected to the support portion, and a plurality of side concave portions and a plurality of side convex portions are alternately formed on the side surfaces of each of the plurality of elastic portions, and in the short direction of the mattress, the width of the bottom surface of the elastic portion is greater than the distance between the valleys of each of the plurality of side concave portions, smaller than the distance between the peaks of each of the plurality of side convex portions, and greater than the width of the grooves, and in the short direction of the mattress, the distance between the valleys of each of the plurality of side concave portions is greater than the width of the groove.

The disclosed mattress provides proper load distribution, allowing you to maintain a comfortable sleeping or resting state.

Diagram of polyester futon mattress (1) Diagram of polyester futon mattress (2) Diagram of a mattress with an uneven surface (1) An explanatory diagram of a mattress with an uneven surface (2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mattress according to an embodiment of the present invention; Top view of the mattress in this embodiment. Side view (1) of the mattress in this embodiment Side view (2) of the mattress in this embodiment Cross-sectional view of a main part of a mattress according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a mattress according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the mattress according to the present embodiment. Illustrative diagram of mattress pressure distribution (1) Illustrative diagram of mattress pressure distribution (2) Illustrative diagram of pressure distribution on a mattress with uneven surface (1) Illustrative diagram of pressure distribution on a mattress with uneven surface (2) FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of pressure distribution of a mattress according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of pressure distribution of the mattress in the present embodiment.

The following describes the embodiments. Note that the same components are given the same reference numerals and the description is omitted. In this application, the X1-X2 direction, the Y1-Y2 direction, and the Z1-Z2 direction are mutually orthogonal. A plane including the X1-X2 direction and the Y1-Y2 direction is referred to as the XY plane, a plane including the Y1-Y2 direction and the Z1-Z2 direction is referred to as the YZ plane, and a plane including the Z1-Z2 direction and the X1-X2 direction is referred to as the ZX plane.

Mattresses are made of urethane foam, which is elastic and has excellent compression recovery, but some mattresses have an uneven surface to make it more comfortable for a person to lie on. By providing an uneven surface to the mattress in this way, the weight of the body when a person lies down is distributed, improving comfort.

Furthermore, when a person lies down on elastic bedding, the heavier parts of the person's body sink deeper than other parts, causing significant deformation in those parts. However, maintaining a body position that accommodates such deformation can result in an unnatural posture, which can reduce comfort. For this reason, the distribution of weight when a person lies down has a significant impact on comfort when sleeping or resting.

Figures 1 and 2 show a foldable polyester futon 901 with a generally flat surface. Note that Figure 1 shows the futon in an unfolded state, and Figure 2 shows the futon in a folded state. In order to improve comfort, there is a mattress 902 with a structure in which multiple projections and recesses are provided on the surface, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, as opposed to the polyester futon 901 with a generally flat surface. Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of Figure 3. This embodiment was made in light of the above situation, and after careful consideration by the inventors, it has been designed to improve load distribution when a person lies down, and to pursue even greater comfort, compared to the mattress 902 shown in Figures 3 and 4.

(mattress)
Next, the mattress in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mattress 100 in this embodiment, FIG. 6 is a top view, FIG. 7 is a side view along the X1-X2 direction, and FIG. 8 is a side view along the Y1-Y2 direction. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the mattress 100 in this embodiment. The mattress 100 in this embodiment is formed of three layers of urethane foam. Specifically, the mattress 100 has a structure in which a first urethane foam 10, a second urethane foam 20, and a third urethane foam 30 are layered from the lower side on the Z2 side toward the upper side on the Z1 side. In this embodiment, the first urethane foam 10 and the third urethane foam 30 are formed of the same urethane foam, but the second urethane foam 20 is formed of a membrane-free urethane foam to ensure breathability, and is harder than the first urethane foam 10 and the third urethane foam 30.

The first urethane foam 10 is formed on the entire surface parallel to the XY plane, and the intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed by the second urethane foam 20 on the Z1 side above the first urethane foam 10. The intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed by separating the second urethane foam 20 from the Z1 side by the first grooves 40 that are orthogonal to each other and are provided in the X1-X2 direction and the Y1-Y2 direction. The intermediate elastic portion 50 supports the tip elastic portion 70 described later, and can move independently of the intermediate elastic portion 50 and the tip elastic portion 70, and can absorb the load from the tip elastic portion 70 while dispersing the load. The intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed to be approximately square on the XY plane, and for example, the length La of one side of the square is about 10 cm. In this embodiment, the depth Da of the first groove 40 from the tip 71 of the tip elastic portion 70 is about 7 cm, and the length La of one side of the square forming the intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed to be longer than the depth Da of the first groove 40. If the depth Da of the first groove 40 is too deep, the position of the intermediate elastic portion 50 becomes unstable and it becomes difficult to support the human body.

In this embodiment, the length La of one side of the intermediate elastic portion 50 in the XY plane is preferably 7 cm or more and 15 cm or less, and more preferably 8 cm or more and 12 cm or less. This is because, given the expected dimensions of the mattress and the body type of the user, comfort can be felt within the above range.

The first groove 40 may be formed to separate the second urethane foam 20 and even to penetrate into a part of the first urethane foam 10. In this embodiment, the part formed by the first urethane foam 10 may be referred to as the elastic support part. In this embodiment, the width W of the first groove 40 separating the intermediate elastic part 50 is about 8 mm, but is preferably 5 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 6 mm or more and 9 mm or less. If the width W of the first groove 40 is too narrow, sufficient breathability cannot be ensured, and if it is too wide, the position of the intermediate elastic part 50 may become unstable, resulting in a loss of comfort.

Above the intermediate elastic portion 50 formed by the second urethane foam 20, i.e., on the Z1 side, a tip elastic portion 70 separated by a second groove 60 is formed by the third urethane foam 30. The tip elastic portion 70 is formed by separating the third urethane foam 30 by the second groove 60 provided in the X1-X2 direction and the Y1-Y2 direction from the Z1 side. The tip elastic portion 70 is formed so that the surface that contacts the intermediate elastic portion 50, which is the bottom surface, is approximately square. In this embodiment, four tip elastic portions 70 are formed on one intermediate elastic portion 50, and each side of the square bottom surface of the tip elastic portion 70 is approximately 5 cm. Note that Figures 10 and 11 are perspective views of the main parts of the mattress in this embodiment, where Figure 10 is a perspective view of a portion corresponding to one intermediate elastic portion 50, and Figure 11 is a perspective view of a portion corresponding to four intermediate elastic portions 50.

In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the tip elastic portion 70 is formed in a square shape, and the tip portion 71 is pointed. The surface 72 of the tip elastic portion 70, which faces the tip portion 71 from the side of the bottom surface that contacts the intermediate elastic portion 50, is formed with a curve that is convex on the Z1 side, and is formed so as not to irritate the person lying on it, and to gradually reduce the amount of deformation according to the applied force. Although the tip portion 71 is formed in a pointed shape, the third urethane foam 30 that forms the tip elastic portion 70 is relatively soft and easily deformed, so that the person lying on the multiple tip portions 71 does not feel uncomfortable. The second groove 60 separates the third urethane foam 30, and may be formed to enter a part of the second urethane foam 20 as shown in the figure. The tip elastic portion 70 is characterized by its shape to distribute the load according to the body type of the user.

The side surfaces of the intermediate elastic portion 50 on the YZ plane and the ZX plane separated by the first groove 40 are formed in a wavy shape, with concave side recesses 51 and convex side protrusions 52 formed alternately. For example, in this embodiment, two side recesses 51 and two side protrusions 52 are formed on the side surface of the intermediate elastic portion 50. Specifically, the side surface of the intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed in the following order from the Z1 side toward the Z2 side, that is, from the side of the first urethane foam 10 toward the side of the third urethane foam 30: side protrusion 52, side recess 51, side protrusion 52, side recess 51.

In the region where the side surface becomes the side surface recess 51, the cross-sectional area in a section parallel to the XY plane is smaller than that of the region where the side surface becomes the side surface protrusion 52, so when force is applied from the Z1 side, the region corresponding to the side surface recess 51 is more easily deformed than the region corresponding to the side surface protrusion 52. In this way, by alternately forming regions that are easily deformed and regions that are less likely to deform when force is applied from the Z1 side in the intermediate elastic portion 50, the amount of displacement when a load is applied can be adjusted, and the load can be effectively distributed.

In this embodiment, since each tip elastic portion 70 is separated, the shape that is deformed when weight is applied to each tip elastic portion 70 is different. In other words, when a stronger force is applied to one of the adjacent tip elastic portions 70 than to the other, the one deforms more than the other and sinks downward in the Z2 direction.

When such one end elastic portion 70 and the other end elastic portion 70 are formed on the same intermediate elastic portion 50, one end elastic portion 70 deforms more than the other and sinks downward in the Z2 direction, but to prevent it from sinking further downward, the intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed from the second urethane foam 20, which is harder than the third urethane foam 30. The intermediate elastic portion 50 deforms less in response to an applied force than the end elastic portion 70, and when one end elastic portion 70 sinks downward, the other end elastic portion 70 also partially sinks downward via the intermediate elastic portion 50, preventing only one end elastic portion 70 from sinking too far.

In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, the first groove 40 extends into a part of the side of the first urethane foam 10 that is in contact with the second urethane foam 20, and a side convex portion 53 may be formed on the side of the portion of the first urethane foam 10 where the first groove 40 is formed. In this case, the portion located above the bottom of the first groove 40 (including the "tip elastic portion 70", the "middle elastic portion 50", and the "portion of the first urethane foam 10 where the first groove 40 is formed") is also referred to as the "elastic portion", and the portion located below the bottom of the first groove 40 (the portion of the first urethane foam 10 other than the "portion of the first urethane foam 10 where the first groove 40 is formed") is also referred to as the "support portion".

Moreover, it is preferable that the shapes of the intermediate elastic portion 50 and the tip elastic portion 70 in the XY plane are substantially square. Therefore, the number of tip elastic portions 70 formed on one intermediate elastic portion 50 is formed to be p ² , where p is an integer of 2 or more. Since the tip elastic portion 70 needs to be a certain size, it is more preferable that the number of tip elastic portions 70 formed on one intermediate elastic portion 50 is 4, 9, or 16, or further 4, 9, or further 4. Moreover, in this embodiment, by making the shapes of the intermediate elastic portion 50 and the tip elastic portion 70 in the XY plane substantially square, it is possible to make the load distribution two-dimensionally uniform.

(Load distribution experiment)
Next, a load distribution experiment performed on the mattress 100 of this embodiment will be described, comparing it with the polyester futon 901 shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the mattress with an uneven surface shown in Figures 3 and 4. Specifically, a futon or mattress was laid on the floor, a sheet-type sensor was laid on top of it, and pressure distribution was measured with a person lying on his back on the sheet-type sensor. The pressure distribution was measured one minute after the person had been lying on his back. The same measurement was performed three times to allow for error.

The results are shown in Table 1 and Figures 12 to 17. Table 1 shows the maximum pressure detected by the sheet-type sensor and the average pressure in the area where the pressure was measured.

The experimental results for the polyester mattress 901 shown in Figures 1 and 2 are shown in Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 shows the pressure distribution in a plane parallel to the XY plane, and Figure 13 shows the pressure distribution in three dimensions. For the polyester mattress 901 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the average of the maximum pressure distribution was 135.95 g/ ^cm2 , and the average of the parts where pressure was detected was 7.09 g/ ^cm2 .

Next, the experimental results when the mattress 902 shown in Figures 3 and 4 was used are shown in Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 shows the pressure distribution in a plane parallel to the XY plane, and Figure 15 shows the pressure distribution in three dimensions. In the mattress 902 shown in Figures 3 and 4, the average of the maximum value of the pressure distribution was 96.35 g/ ^cm2 , and the average of the part where pressure was detected was 6.69 g/ ^cm2 . Therefore, in the mattress 902 shown in Figures 3 and 4, the maximum value of the pressure distribution is lower than that of the polyester mattress 901 shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the average of the part where pressure was detected is also lower, and the load of the human body is distributed.

Next, the experimental results when the mattress 100 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5 etc. is used are shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17. FIG. 16 shows the pressure distribution in a plane parallel to the XY plane, and FIG. 17 shows the pressure distribution in three dimensions. In the mattress 100 of the present embodiment, the average of the maximum value of the pressure distribution is 79.90 g/ ^cm2 , and the average of the part where the pressure was detected is 6.13 g/ ^cm2 . Therefore, in the mattress 100 of the present embodiment, the maximum value of the pressure distribution is further lower than that of the mattress 902 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and the average value is also lower, and the load of the human body is further distributed. Therefore, the mattress 100 of the present embodiment can obtain even more comfort when a person lies down on it.

In the above explanation, mattresses were described as a type of bedding, but the same can also be applied to pillows, which are also a type of bedding.

Although the embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims.

10 First urethane foam 20 Second urethane foam 30 Third urethane foam 40 First groove 50 Middle elastic portion 51 Side recess 52 Side protrusion 53 Side protrusion 60 Second groove 70 Tip elastic portion 71 Tip portion 72 Surface

Claims (4)

A mattress having a rectangular shape,
A plurality of elastic portions separated by grooves formed along each of the short-side direction and the long-side direction of the mattress and located above the bottom of the grooves ;
a support portion located below the bottom of the groove,
the width of the bottom surface of the elastic portion is the distance between the bottoms of the two grooves;
Each of the elastic portions is connected to the support portion,
A plurality of side recesses and a plurality of side protrusions are alternately formed on a side surface of each of the plurality of elastic portions,
In the short-side direction of the mattress, the width of the bottom surface of the elastic portion is larger than the distance between the valleys of each of the plurality of side concave portions, smaller than the distance between the peaks of each of the plurality of side convex portions, and larger than the width of the groove;
In the short direction of the mattress, the distance between the valleys of each of the plurality of side recesses is greater than the width of the groove.
mattress. a plurality of the side surface concave portions and a plurality of the side surface convex portions are alternately formed on each side surface of the plurality of the elastic portions in the order of the side surface convex portion, the side surface concave portion, the side surface convex portion, and the side surface concave portion from the bottom,
the number of the side surface convex portions on each side surface of the plurality of elastic portions is greater than the number of the side surface concave portions;
2. The mattress of claim 1. Three of the side convex portions and two of the side concave portions are formed on each side surface of the plurality of elastic portions.
A mattress according to claim 1 or claim 2. The side convex portion formed on a side surface of one of the two elastic portions arranged in the short side direction of the mattress faces the side convex portion formed on a side surface of the other of the two elastic portions arranged in the short side direction of the mattress.
A mattress according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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