CN113633131B - Pad device and method for manufacturing fluid cell - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a fluid cell, a pad device, and a method for manufacturing a fluid cell, wherein the fluid cell (15) can be manufactured easily while suppressing man-hours. The fluid cell includes: a flexible tube (15 a) that can be filled with a fluid inside the flexible tube (15 a); and a closing portion (15 b) which is formed by fixing the inner peripheral surfaces of the flexible tube (15 a) to each other in a state of sandwiching the flexible tube (15 a) in the radial direction, and which closes the openings at both ends of the flexible tube (15 a), wherein a valley-folded portion (16) which is folded inward in one direction is formed at the axial end of the flexible tube (15 a), the one direction being one direction intersecting the direction in which the flexible tube (15 a) is sandwiched by the closing portion (15 b) in the radial direction of the flexible tube (15 a), and the closing portion (15 b) is arranged at a position in which the valley-folded portion (16) is formed in the axial direction.

Description

Pad device, and method of manufacturing fluid chamber

This application is a divisional application of the following patent application:

Application number: 201710408730.9

Application date: June 2, 2017

Title of invention: Pad device and method of manufacturing fluid chamber

Technical field

The present invention relates to fluid cells, pad devices, and methods of manufacturing fluid cells.

Background technique

Conventionally, there has been known a fluid chamber that includes a flexible cylinder capable of filling the interior of the flexible cylinder with fluid, and a closing portion that clamps the flexible cylinder in a radial direction. The inner circumferential surfaces of the flexible tube are fixed to each other in the state of the tube, and the closing parts respectively close the openings at both ends of the flexible tube. In this fluid cell, when the fluid is filled into the flexible cylinder, corners are generated at the axial ends of the flexible cylinder. The corner portion exposes a sharp angle toward the outside in one direction that intersects the radial direction of the flexible tube and the direction in which the flexible tube is sandwiched by the closing portion.

In order to suppress the occurrence of the corner portion, a fluid cell shown in Patent Document 1 below is known. In this fluid cell, the occurrence of the corner portion is suppressed by forming an ear portion at an axial end of the flexible tube after forming the sealing portion. The ear portion has a triangular shape in plan view and has a The bottom edge extends in the clamping direction, and the top angle protrudes axially outward.

existing technical documents

patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-5289.

However, in the conventional fluid cell, it is necessary to separately form the ear portion after forming the sealing portion, so the work hours are increased.

Contents of the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a fluid cell that can reduce the number of steps and can be easily manufactured.

(1) The fluid chamber of the present invention includes: a flexible cylinder that can be filled with fluid inside the flexible cylinder; and a pair of closing parts that sandwich the flexible cylinder in the radial direction. The inner circumferential surfaces of the flexible cylinder are fixed to each other in a state, and the openings at both ends of the flexible cylinder are respectively closed. The characteristic of the fluid chamber is that at the axial end of the flexible cylinder The portion is formed with a valley fold portion that is folded inward in one direction, which is a direction intersecting the direction in which the flexible tube is sandwiched by the closing portion in the radial direction of the flexible tube, and the The closing portion is disposed at a position where the valley fold portion is formed along the axial direction.

In this invention, the closing part is arrange|positioned at the position where the valley fold part is formed along the axial direction. Therefore, when the flexible tube is filled with fluid to expand the flexible tube, the axial end portions of the flexible tube expand in the direction in which the flexible tube is sandwiched so that the inner surfaces of the valley fold portions are separated from each other. This can suppress the generation of a sharp corner portion toward the outside in the one direction at the end portion of the flexible tube in the axial direction. In addition, as long as the position of the closing portion is adjusted after forming the valley fold portion, the occurrence of the corner portion at the axial end of the flexible tube can be suppressed. Therefore, the corner portion can be prevented from being formed at the radial end of the closing portion. Compared with a structure in which ear portions each having a triangular shape in plan view are separately formed, the fluid chamber can be easily manufactured while reducing man-hours.

(2) On the basis of the fluid cell in (1) above, the following structure may be adopted: a pair of inner surfaces of the valley fold portion facing each other are formed with fixing portions for fixing the inner surfaces to each other, and the sealing portion part and the fixing part are integrally formed.

In this case, when the fluid is filled into the flexible tube and the flexible tube is expanded, the inner surfaces of the valley fold portions fixed to the fixed portion are constrained to each other. Therefore, the outer circumferential surface located around the fixed portion among the axial end portions of the flexible tube can be formed into a flat surface shape orthogonal to the one direction.

In addition, since the sealing part and the fixing part can be formed integrally, the fluid cell can be manufactured more easily.

(3) On the basis of the fluid chamber of the above (1) or (2), the following structure may be adopted: the closing part is arranged closer to the axial direction of the flexible tube than both end edges of the flexible tube. An ear portion is formed on the flexible tube at an inner position, and the ear portion protrudes from the closing portion toward the outside in the axial direction.

In this case, since the flexible tube is formed with ears, for example, a mounting member for mounting the fluid cell to the pad device can be disposed at the ears.

(4) Based on the fluid chamber of (3) above, the following structure may also be adopted: the closing part extends along the one direction and is arranged in the entire area of the flexible tube along the one direction, The ears are formed on the entire area of the flexible tube along the one direction.

In this case, the ears are arranged in the entire area of the flexible tube along the one direction. Therefore, the area of the ear portion can be ensured to be large, and for example, the number or shape of attachment members to be attached to the ear portion can be selected with a degree of freedom.

(5) On the basis of the fluid cells in (3) or (4) above, the following structure may also be adopted: a restricting portion is formed on the ear portion, and the restricting portion is connected to other fluid cells and controls each other relative to each other. Displacement is restricted.

In this case, the relative displacement of the plurality of fluid cells can be controlled by using the restriction portion formed on the ear portion, thereby improving the independence of the fluid cells.

(6) On the basis of the fluid chamber in any one of the above (1) to (5), the following structure can also be adopted: the flexible cylinder is provided with a partition wall, and the partition wall will separate the flexible tube. The interior of the barrel is divided into two filling chambers, and the dividing wall divides the interior of the flexible barrel in the one direction.

In this case, the interior of the flexible tube is divided into two filling chambers in the one direction in which the valley fold portion is folded. Therefore, the flexible tube can be easily made self-standing in the one direction. In addition, the outer peripheral surface located around the fixing portion can be formed into a flat shape orthogonal to the one direction, so that a user lying down on the fluid cell can have a good use experience.

(7) The pad device of the present invention is characterized in that the fluid cell is the fluid cell according to any one of (1) to (6) above.

In this case, in the pad device, each of the above-described functions and effects can be achieved.

(8) The method for manufacturing a fluid cell according to the present invention is the method for manufacturing a fluid cell according to (2) above, wherein the fixing portion and the sealing portion are formed simultaneously.

In this case, the fixing part and the sealing part are formed at the same time, so the fluid cell can be easily manufactured while reducing the man-hours.

According to the present invention, the fluid cell can be easily manufactured while reducing man-hours.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the pad device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fluid chamber in the pad device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a front view of the axial end of the fluid chamber shown in FIG. 2 .

Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are respectively a front view and a top view of the process of filling air into the fluid chamber shown in Figure 3.

Fig. 5(a) is a diagram showing the valley folding process in the manufacturing process of the fluid cell shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing the sealing process and the fixing process in the manufacturing process of the fluid cell shown in Fig. 2. FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing the process of arranging mounting components in the manufacturing process of the fluid cell shown in FIG. 2 .

6(a) and 6(b) are front views respectively showing a first modification and a second modification among the modifications of the fluid cell according to the first embodiment.

7 is a perspective view showing a third modified example of the fluid cell according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the fluid cell according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the fluid cell shown in FIG. 8 .

Symbol Description

10 pad device

15, 25, 35, 45 fluid chamber

15a flexible tube

15b, 25b closed part

16 Tanioribe

16c inner surface

17 Fixed part

18, 48 ears

19, 29 Installation parts (restriction part)

40 links

49 Restrictions Department

Detailed ways

(first embodiment)

Next, the pad device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 . Examples of the cushion device 10 include a bed device for a user to lie on his side or a seat cushion device for a user to sit on. In the present embodiment, a bed device is used as an example of the cushion device 10 . Hereinafter, the structure of each part will be described using the front-rear direction X, the left-right direction Y, and the up-down direction Z of the pad device 10 .

As shown in Figure 1 , the cushion device 10 includes: a cushion portion 11 for a user to lie horizontally; a supply and exhaust portion 12 that supplies and exhausts air to the cushion portion 11; and a control unit 13 that controls the air supply and exhaust unit 12 .

The cushion part 11 has a plurality of fluid cells 15, and the insides of these fluid cells 15 are filled with air to support the load of the user lying on the cushion part 11. The internal pressure of the fluid cell 15 corresponds to the hardness of the pad portion 11. By setting the internal pressure of the fluid cell 15 according to the user's weight, the hardness of the pad portion 11 can be set to the most suitable hardness for the user.

The fluid cells 15 are rod-shaped cells extending in the left-right direction Y in the pad portion 11 . In the example shown in the figure, a plurality of fluid cells 15 are arranged in series in the front-rear direction X to form the pad portion 11 . The fluid chamber 15 is formed of a film material such as a vinyl chloride film or a urethane film, and is circularized around the central axis O1. The two ends of the fluid chamber 15 are connected by, for example, welding. A peripheral end line 15f extending in the left-right direction Y is formed in the welded portion of the thin film material. In this fluid cell 15, the peripheral end line 15f is located at the lower end, and the portion of the film material located above the peripheral end line 15f forms a flexible tube 15a to be described later.

The fluid cells 15 arranged adjacent to each other may or may not be fixed to each other. The fluid cells 15 can also be attached to a cover (not shown) that integrally covers the plurality of fluid cells 15 via a button or a cord as an attachment member 19 to be described later.

As shown in Figure 2, the fluid chamber 15 includes: a flexible tube 15a, which can be filled with fluid inside the flexible tube 15a; and a closing portion 15b, which clamps the flexible tube 15a in the radial direction. The inner circumferential surfaces of the flexible tube 15a are fixed to each other in the fixed state, and the openings at both ends of the flexible tube 15a are respectively closed. The central axis O1 of the flexible tube 15a extends in the left-right direction Y. In a plan view of the flexible tube 15a viewed from the left-right direction Y, one of the radial directions orthogonal to the central axis O1 extends in the up-down direction Z. The flexible tube 15a has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y. In addition, the flexible tube 15a may also be formed of a plurality of film materials.

The flexible tube 15a is formed with a partition wall 15c extending in the left-right direction Y. The partition wall 15c is formed near the center part in the up-down direction Z of the flexible tube 15a. The interior of the fluid chamber 15 (flexible cylinder 15a) is divided into two filling chambers in the up-down direction Z by the partition wall 15c. Each filling chamber is provided with a supply and exhaust port 15e for supplying and exhausting air. Each supply and exhaust port 15e is connected to a pipe forming the supply and exhaust portion 12.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the end of the flexible tube 15 a in the left-right direction Y is formed with a valley fold portion 16 that is folded inward in the up-down direction Z. The up-down direction Z is the same as the radial direction of the flexible tube 15 a. A direction intersecting the direction in which the flexible tube 15a is sandwiched between the closing portion 15b. The valley fold portion 16 is folded in one direction in the radial direction of the flexible tube 15a, and in the example shown in the figure, it is folded in the lower side in the up-down direction Z. In a state where air is discharged from the fluid cell 15 (flexible tube 15a), the valley fold portion 16 is formed over the entire length of the flexible tube 15a in the left-right direction Y in a state where the fluid cell 15 is folded in the front-rear direction X. That is, as shown in FIG. 4 , in the process of filling air into the fluid cell 15 , the valley fold portion 16 is formed over the entire length of the flexible tube 15 a in the left-right direction Y. In addition, the valley fold portions 16 may be formed on the upper surface and the lower surface respectively.

The closing portion 15b is disposed at a position where the valley fold portion 16 is formed along the left-right direction Y. That is, the closing part 15b is formed so that it may overlap with the valley fold part 16.

The pair of closing portions 15b are respectively formed at both ends of the fluid cell 15 in the left-right direction Y. The closing portion 15b extends in the up-down direction Z and is arranged in the entire area of the flexible tube 15a.

The closing portion 15b seals the openings at both ends of the flexible tube 15a by bonding the inner peripheral surfaces of the flexible tube 15a to each other. In the illustrated example, the closing portion 15b is formed by welding the inner peripheral surfaces of the flexible tube 15a to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a pair of inner surfaces 16 c facing each other of the valley fold portion 16 is formed with a fixing portion 17 that fixes the inner surfaces 16 c to each other. The fixing part 17 and the closing part 15b are formed integrally. The fixed part 17 and the closing part 15b are formed by a welding line extending longitudinally through the flexible tube 15a in the up-down direction Z.

In a state where air is filled into the fluid cell 15, the valley folding portions 16 are respectively formed at both ends in the left-right direction Y of the upper surface facing upward among the outer surfaces of the flexible tube 15a.

The valley fold portion 16 includes a valley fold recessed portion 16a and an opposing portion 16b. The valley fold portion 16 is recessed downward and opens upward. The valley-fold recess 16a has a triangular shape in which two tops are arranged along the front-rear direction X and the remaining tops are arranged outside the left-right direction Y when viewed from above. The opposing portion 16b extends outward in the left-right direction Y from the outer end portion in the left-right direction Y of the valley-fold recessed portion 16a. The opposing portion 16b is formed by a pair of front and rear inner surfaces 16c of the valley fold portion 16 facing each other in the front-rear direction X. A fixing portion 17 is formed at an inner end portion in the left-right direction Y of the facing portion 16b.

In addition, in this embodiment, the closing part 15b is arranged at a position closer to the inside of the left-right direction Y of the flexible tube 15a than the both end edges of the flexible tube 15a, and the flexible tube 15a is formed with ears 18. The portion 18 protrudes outward in the left-right direction Y from the closing portion 15b. The ears 18 are respectively formed at both ends of the flexible tube 15a in the left-right direction Y. The ear portion 18 has a rectangular shape that is long in the up-down direction Z when viewed from the front-rear direction X.

Two mounting members (restriction portions) 19 are arranged at both ends of the ear portion 18 in the up-down direction Z with a gap in the up-down direction Z. In the example shown in the figure, the mounting member 19 is a synthetic resin snap button arranged in a hole formed in the ear portion 18 . The fluid cell 15 is mounted on a cover (not shown) of the pad device 10 using the mounting member 19 . The mounting member 19 is connected to the other fluid cells 15 via the cover, and functions as a restricting portion that restricts relative displacement between each other.

In addition, one or three or more mounting members 19 may be provided, or they may be provided at the central portion of the ear portion 18 in the up-down direction Z. In addition, as the mounting member 19, a metal snap button may also be used.

Next, a method of manufacturing the fluid cell 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .

First, the film material forming the fluid cell 15 is rounded around the central axis O1, and the two ends of the fluid cell 15 are welded to each other and connected to form the peripheral end line 15f. Thus, the flexible tube 15a is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5( a ), as a valley folding step, the upper end of the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube 15 a extending in the left-right direction Y is folded inward in the up-down direction Z to form the valley fold portion 16 . In the illustrated example, the valley fold portion 16 parallel to the central axis O1 is formed over the entire length of the flexible tube 15a. In addition, in the valley folding step, it is not necessary to form the valley fold portion 16 over the entire length of the flexible tube 15a. It is only necessary to fold at least the end portion of the flexible tube 15a in the left-right direction Y inward in the up-down direction Z. Will suffice. In addition, the valley fold portion 16 may be formed to be inclined relative to the central axis O1.

In addition, it is preferable that the maximum depth of the valley fold line 16d dividing the groove bottom of the valley fold portion 16 in a state filled with air is the central portion in the left-right direction Y of the upper surface of the fluid chamber 15 along the front-rear direction. Between 15% and 50% of the thickness dimension of X (hereinafter referred to as the cell width of the central part).

When the maximum depth of the valley fold line 16 is 15% or less of the cell width in the center, it is confirmed that a slightly upward sharp corner is generated at the end of the flexible tube 15a in the left-right direction Y. In addition, when the maximum depth of the valley fold line 16d is 50% or more of the cell width at the center, the thickness dimension of the upper surface of the fluid cell 15 at both ends in the left-right direction Y along the front-rear direction X is confirmed ( Hereinafter referred to as the cell width at the end) is larger than the cell width at the center.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b) , at the open end of the flexible tube 15a, the flexible tube 15a is sandwiched from both sides in the front-rear direction X using a welding means (not shown) and welded, etc. The inner peripheral surfaces of the flexible tube 15a are connected to each other over the entire area in the up-down direction Z. Thereby, a fixing process of fixing the pair of inner surfaces 16c of the valley fold portion 16 facing each other and a sealing process of fixing the pair of inner surfaces 16c of the valley fold portion 16 to each other are performed simultaneously. The openings at both ends of the tube 15a are closed.

As shown in FIG. 5(c) , through this welding operation, closed portions 15b extending in the up-and-down direction Z are formed at both ends of the flexible tube 15a in the left-right direction Y, and the closed portions 15b are located at a relatively high position. A fixing portion 17 is formed in a portion of the valley fold portion 16 located above the valley fold line 16d. In addition, ear portions 18 are respectively formed in portions of the flexible tube 15a located outside the closing portion 15b in the left-right direction Y. In addition, when both ends of the film material are welded together to form the peripheral end line 15f as described above, the welding operation may be performed simultaneously to form the peripheral end line 15f, the closing portion 15b, and the fixed portion 17 at the same time.

Then, the mounting members 19 are arranged on both ends of the ear portion 18 in the up-down direction Z. In the illustrated example, the mounting member 19 located on the upper side is mounted on the opposing portion 16 b of the valley fold portion 16 .

When the fluid cells 15 manufactured in this way are used as the pad device 10 , in a state where the plurality of fluid cells 15 are mounted on the cover of the pad device 10 using the mounting member 19 , the fluid supply and exhaust unit 12 and the control unit 13 are used to supply the fluid to the pad device 10 . The interior of the chamber 15 is filled with air.

Here, in a state filled with air, the cell width at the end is approximately twice the depth of the valley fold portion 16 to the valley fold line 16d. Therefore, the depth of the valley fold portion 16 can be set based on the cell width of the end portion when filled with air.

In addition, it is preferable that the interval (pitch) in the front-rear direction 15 ears 18. This can narrow the gaps between the fluid cells 15 in the front-rear direction

From the above, it is considered that the gap between the fluid cells 15 can be effectively narrowed by setting the depth of the valley fold portion 16 to half the distance.

Next, modifications of the fluid cell 15 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6( a ), in the fluid cell 25 of the first modified example, the closing portion 25 b is formed in a curved shape that gradually protrudes toward the outside in the left-right direction Y as it goes inward in the up-down direction Z. By forming the closing portion 25 b in this manner, it is possible to easily secure portions where the mounting member 19 is disposed at both ends of the ear portion 18 in the up-down direction Z. According to this structure, when the ear portion 18 is folded in the front-rear direction X, the mounting member 19 can be easily disposed in the front-rear direction near the central part of the upper part.

In addition, as another form of the sealing portion, in a plan view viewed from the front-rear direction An inclined line that is upward and gradually moves inward in the left-right direction Y.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6( b ), in the fluid cell 35 according to the second modified example, a surface fastener extending in the up-down direction Z is arranged on the ear portion 18 as the mounting member 29 . The surface fastener is arranged in almost the entire area of the ear portion 18 in the up-down direction Z. By using a surface fastener as the mounting member 29 in this way, the attachment and detachment work of the mounting member 19 can be made easier compared to a structure using a snap button. In addition, when the surface fastener is disposed over a wide range of the ear portion 18, the mounting strength of the mounting member 29 can be increased.

In addition, as another form of the mounting member, the following structure may be provided: fixing holes are provided in the ear portions 18, and fixing cords having knots formed at predetermined intervals are passed through each of the plurality of fluid cells 15 arranged in the front-rear direction X. Fixing holes.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7 , in the fluid cell 15A of the third modified example, the fixing portion 17 is not formed in the valley fold portion 16 , and the inner surfaces 16 c of the valley fold portion 16 are not fixed to each other. Therefore, the valley fold portion 16 does not have an opposing portion in which the front and rear pair of inner surfaces 16 c face each other in the front and rear direction X. Instead, the front and rear pair of inner surfaces 16 c and the valley fold recessed portion 16 a are integrated and open upward. In addition, in the fluid cell 15A, one mounting member 19 is provided on the lower side of the ear portion 18 .

As described above, according to the fluid cell 15 of this embodiment, the closing portion 15b is disposed at a position along the axial direction where the valley fold portion 16 is formed. Therefore, when the flexible tube 15a is filled with fluid to expand the flexible tube 15a, the axial ends of the flexible tube 15a are moved along the flexible tube 15a in such a manner that the inner surfaces of the valley fold portions 16 are separated from each other. The clamping direction expands. This can suppress the occurrence of a sharp corner portion toward the outside (upper side) in the up-down direction Z at the end portion of the flexible tube 15 a in the left-right direction Y. In addition, as long as the position of the closing portion 15b is adjusted after forming the valley fold portion 16, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the corner portion at the end of the flexible tube 15a in the left-right direction Y. Therefore, the same as in the closing portion 15b Compared with a structure in which the ends in the up-down direction Z are separately formed with ears that are triangular in plan view, the fluid chamber 15 can be easily manufactured while reducing the number of steps.

In addition, when the flexible tube 15a is filled with fluid to expand the flexible tube 15a, the inner surfaces 16c of the valley fold portion 16 fixed to the fixed portion 17 are constrained to each other. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface located around the fixed portion 17 in the axial end portion of the flexible tube 15a can be formed orthogonal to one direction in which the valley fold portion 16 in the radial direction of the flexible tube 15a is folded. Flat surface.

In addition, since the sealing part 15b and the fixing part 17 can be formed integrally, the fluid cell 15 can be manufactured more easily.

In addition, since the flexible tube 15a is formed with the ear portion 18, for example, the mounting member 19 for mounting to the pad device 10 or the like can be disposed on the ear portion 18.

In addition, the ears 18 are arranged in the entire area of the flexible tube 15a along the one direction. Therefore, the area of the ear portion 18 can be ensured to be large, and for example, the number, shape, etc. of the mounting members 19 to be mounted on the ear portion 18 can be selected with a degree of freedom.

In addition, the mounting member 19 formed on the ear portion 18 restricts the relative displacement of the plurality of adjacent fluid cells 15, thereby improving the independence of the fluid cells 15.

In addition, the inside of the flexible tube 15a is divided into two filling chambers in one direction in which the valley fold portion 16 is folded. Therefore, the flexible tube 15a can be easily made self-standing in the one direction. In addition, the outer peripheral surface around the fixing portion 17 can be formed into a flat shape orthogonal to the one direction, thus providing a good user experience to the user lying on the fluid chamber 15 .

In addition, according to the pad device 10 of this embodiment, since the fluid chamber 15 is provided, each of the above-described functions and effects can be exerted in the pad device 10 .

In addition, according to the method of manufacturing the fluid cell 15 of this embodiment, since the fixing process and the sealing process are performed simultaneously, the process time can be reduced and the fluid cell 15 can be easily manufactured.

(Second Embodiment)

Next, the fluid cell 45 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 .

In addition, in this second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, descriptions thereof are omitted, and only different points are described.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , a plurality of fluid cells 45 are connected to each other in the front-rear direction X to form a fluid cell unit 50 . In the example shown, three fluid chambers 45 are interconnected. In addition, the number of connected fluid chambers 45 may be two or four or more.

A connecting piece 40 is arranged at the lower part of the fluid chamber 45. The connecting piece 40 extends from the outer peripheral surface to the entire area in the left-right direction Y and connects the adjacent fluid chambers 45 in the front-rear direction X. The connecting piece 40 is integrally formed with the outer wall of the flexible tube 45a of each fluid chamber 45. In this way, the plurality of fluid cells 45 are connected by the connecting piece 40 to form the fluid cell unit 50 , thereby ensuring the operability of the fluid cells 45 in the pad device 10 .

In addition, in this embodiment, the restriction part 49 is formed in the ear part 48 of the fluid cell 45, and the restriction part 49 is connected with other adjacent fluid cells 45, and restricts mutual relative displacement. The restricting portion 49 extends in the front-rear direction X from the end portion of the ear portion 48 in the left-right direction Y. The restriction portion 49 is formed in a rectangular strip shape that is long in the front-rear direction X when viewed from the left-right direction Y.

Restrictions 49 formed in the ears 48 of adjacent fluid cells 45 are connected to each other. In the illustrated example, two restricting portions 49 are formed on the ear portions 48 so that their positions in the up-down direction Z are different. Among the restriction portions 49 , the upper restriction portion 49 is formed at the upper end portion of the ear portion 48 , and the lower restriction portion 49 is located at the center portion in the up-down direction Z. The restricting parts 49 are locked with each other by locking parts (not shown) and are connected to each other.

As described above, according to the fluid cell 45 of this embodiment, the relative displacement of the adjacent fluid cells 45 can be restricted by the restriction portion 49 formed in the ear portion 48, thereby improving the independence of the fluid cell 45. .

In addition, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the fluid cell 15 filled with air is used as the fluid cell. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the fluid cell may be filled with liquid.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure in which the closing part 15b and the fixing part 17 are integrally formed was shown, However, it is not limited to this form. The closing part and the fixing part may be formed as separate bodies. For example, another form may be suitably adopted in which the fixing part is located inside the closing part in the left-right direction Y.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure in which the ear part 18 is formed in the flexible tube 15a is shown, and the ear part 18 and the closing part 15b are connected in the whole area|region of the up-down direction Z, and are extended in the left-right direction Y. The lateral side protrudes, but it is not limited to this shape. The ear portion may be connected to the closing portion in the entire area in the up-down direction Z, or the ear portion may not be formed on the flexible tube.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure in which the partition wall 15c is provided in the flexible tube 15a is shown, and the partition wall 15c divides the inside of the flexible tube 15a into two filling chambers in the up-down direction Z. However, this is not the case. Not limited to this form. The partition wall may partition the inside of the flexible tube in a direction different from the up-down direction Z, or the partition wall may not be provided in the flexible tube.

In addition, within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention, the structural elements of the embodiments may be appropriately replaced with well-known structural elements, and the modifications may be appropriately combined.

Claims (10)

1. A pad assembly comprising a plurality of fluid cells, wherein said fluid cells comprise:

a flexible tube capable of being filled with a fluid inside the flexible tube;

a pair of closing portions that close openings at both ends in an axial direction of the flexible tube, respectively; and

an ear portion protruding from the closing portion to an outer side in an axial direction of the flexible tube,

when the flexible tube is filled with fluid, the height of the upper surface of the flexible tube above in the up-down direction is higher than the height of the whole of the pair of closing portions and the ear portion,

a surface for a user in the pad device is constituted by the upper surfaces of a plurality of the fluid cells,

a valley-folded portion which is folded downward in the up-down direction is formed over the entire length of the flexible tube on the upper surface of the flexible tube.

2. The pad device of claim 1,

the ear portion is formed with a restriction portion that is connected to the other fluid cell and restricts relative displacement of the ear portion and the other fluid cell.

3. The pad device of claim 1,

the fluid cell further includes a fixing portion disposed at an end portion of the flexible tube in an axial direction, the fixing portion fixing inner surfaces of the valley-folded portions facing each other to each other so as to be located inward of the closing portion in a width direction of the flexible tube, the width direction being a direction orthogonal to the axial direction and the up-down direction.

4. The pad device of claim 2,

the ear portion is formed in the entire region of the flexible tube along the up-down direction.

5. The pad device of claim 4,

the closing portion is formed in a curve shape that gradually protrudes outward in the axial direction as going inward in the up-down direction, and two restricting portions are disposed at both ends in the up-down direction of the ear portion with a gap therebetween in the up-down direction.

6. The pad device of claim 4,

the ear portion is provided with a surface fastener extending in the up-down direction as the restricting portion, and the surface fastener is disposed in almost all regions of the ear portion in the up-down direction.

7. The pad device of claim 4,

the restricting portion is formed in a rectangular strip shape in the width direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the axial direction and the up-down direction, extending from an end portion of the ear portion in the axial direction to the width direction.

8. The pad device of any one of claim 1 to 7,

a dividing wall is arranged on the flexible cylinder and divides the inner area of the flexible cylinder into two filling chambers,

the partition wall partitions the inside of the flexible tube in the up-down direction.

9. The pad device of any one of claim 1 to 7,

an air supply/exhaust port for supplying and exhausting air is provided on the side surface of the flexible tube.

10. A method of manufacturing a fluid cell for manufacturing the fluid cell in the pad device according to claim 3, the method being characterized in that,

the fixing portion, the closing portion, and the ear portion are formed simultaneously by welding lines that vertically cross the flexible tube, and the ear portion is configured by a portion that is located outside the flexible tube in the axial direction with respect to the welding lines.