DK2781209T3 - Mattress - Google Patents

Description

Description:

The invention relates to a mattress with the features of the introductory part of Claim 1.

It is already known in the art to incorporate beds consisting of a large number of cubes into mattresses or other couch underlays to enable the mattress to conform to the recumbent person's body. The bed of cubes is covered with a topping, and the sleeper lies (disregarding e.g. mattress covers of fabric materials or similar protective sheet-type covers) directly on this topping. Alternatively, e.g. as in the case of the mattress known from DE 29701959 U1, the person may lie (again disregarding such covers) directly on the bed of cubes. Known toppings are typically made from foam material, and are made at least 6 cm thick so as to distribute the weight of the recumbent person and reduce interface pressure.

Known from FR 2730914 A3 is a mattress that has a bed with a plurality of elastic bodies and a topping made as a single layer of foam material, the topping being arranged on one side of the bed and being less than 5 cm thick.

Known from DE 102010014664 A1 is a mattress that has a bottom, a top layer and a cushioning core arranged between the bottom and the top layer. The top layer, the cushioning core and the bottom are all made from foam material. The compressive hardness of the foam material lies between 1.2 kPa and 12 kPa. WO 94/23682 A2 discloses a base which has holes or recesses into which plugs of foam material can be inserted. DE 202005002906 U1 discloses a mattress according to the introductory part of Claim 1.

Such known mattresses are relatively comfortable, and for many people they ensure a peaceful night's sleep. However, this is not true for everyone, and especially not for people suffering from dementia.

Two of the typical symptoms of dementia in its advanced stage are loss of orientation and sleep disturbances. The increasing inability of a person with dementia to make sense of his or her perceptions may bring about further, and indeed growing, confusion. This may lead on to panic, disorientation and restlessness lasting late into the night. The resulting loss of sleep may further confuse the patient, and add to the burden on nurses and/or carers. The problems described here are often accompanied in dementia patients by the so-called "sundowner phenomenon" (also called sundowning syndrome).

In the specialist literature distinctions are made between different stages of dementia according to the degree to which the illness has advanced. Above all, dementia patients suffering from a more advanced stage of dementia are apathetic and for that reason are confined to bed. Therefore (and also because of their impaired perception of their own body) these dementia patients quite often also suffer from the consequences of prolonged local pressure on various points of the body while recumbent, i.e. so-called bedsores. Consequently dementia patients are frequently also susceptible to the occurrence of so-called decubitus ulcers. The aforementioned problems occur primarily among patients with dementia, but sometimes also affect people with no dementia.

Problem of the invention

The problem of the present invention is therefore to provide a mattress which overcomes the drawbacks of the state of the art. In particular, a mattress should be provided which is capable of improving the general wellbeing of persons suffering from dementia.

Brief description of the invention

The problem is solved by a mattress with the features of Claim 1. The arrangement of a relatively thin topping over the bed of elastic bodies achieves the beneficial result that persons lying on the mattress, in particular those suffering from dementia, experience an effective stimulation of the skin and as a result gain a heightened perception of their own body. By virtue of the combination of the bed consisting of numerous individual elastic bodies with the correspondingly thin topping, the individual elastic bodies are able to exert pressure through the topping on the body, and in particular the skin, of the dementia patient, in a precisely localized manner (acting to some degree as small shock absorbers). This feedback gives especially to persons with dementia, local sensations or stimuli through the skin that counteract the patient's increasing lack of bodily perception, so that the patient's disorientation is lessened. Through recovery of perception of the body, the dementia patient regains his or her sense of self, and achieves inner peace as a result. This advantageously counteracts wakefulness and disturbed sleep, prolongs sleeping time, and/or makes going back to sleep easier after an interruption such as a visit to the toilet. Other resultant benefits are a reduction in muscular cramps in patients, a reduction in the sundowning phenomenon, and the establishment of a stable day/night rhythm. The inventive effect is also achieved if the thickness of the topping is less than 40% of the thickness of the bed with the elastic bodies, that is to say if the ratio of the thickness of the topping to the thickness of the bed is less than 2 to 5.

The bed of elastic elements is preferably flat, and may in principle be made up of one or more plies, that is to say, it may comprise one or more layers of elastic bodies, in particular in slab form. As a rule, the bed is made up of one or two plies. For the purposes of the invention, the thickness of the bed means the overall extent of the flat or slab-form bed in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the plane of the mattress), that is to say in the case of a multiple-ply bed for example, from the top to the underside of the complete slab-form bed. On the other hand, the topping according to the invention, which is typically arranged on the top of the flat bed, is formed by a single, i.e. undivided or solid, layer of foam material. Forming the topping from several layers, in particular glued-together layers, would reduce the advantageous feedback effect of the mattress according to the invention, or eliminate the effect altogether. A mattress cover, or any other protective covers or sheets that may be interposed (e.g. for protection from excreta due to the recumbent person's incontinence) do not count as toppings for the purposes of the invention. Nor does any carrier layer which may be arranged underneath the bed of elastic bodies and which would not be suitable as a topping owing to the hardness necessitated by its function as a carrier. Compressive hardness means the pressure in pascals physically acting on an area in square metres that is needed to compress the foam by 40%. In mattress manufacture, the compressive hardness is the restoring force of upholstery with this defined depth of penetration.

The bed structure of the mattress according to the invention can be applied to all standard mattress sizes and special sizes (special fabrications). Use of the mattress according to the invention is especially preferred for patients with dementia, to improve the quality and/or increase the quantity of their sleep.

In one preferred embodiment of the mattress, the topping is between 2 cm and 3 cm thick. In mattresses according to the invention with a thickness of topping within this range, the feedback effect (stimulation of the recumbent person through the topping) is intensified. Such an intensified feedback effect arises e.g. with a topping that is 2 cm thick and a bed with elastic bodies that is 8 cm thick.

Likewise preferred is an embodiment in which the compressive hardness of the foam of the topping is between 1.5 kPa and 2 kPa. Mattresses according to the invention with a compressive hardness of topping within this range exhibit a particularly pronounced feedback or stimulation effect, and give recumbent persons a particularly marked sense of wellbeing.

In a further preferred embodiment of the mattress, the density of the foam of the topping is between 40 kg/m3 and 50 kg/m3. This makes the stimulation of the patient and/or the recovery of bodily perception still more effective. In particular, an especially marked effect is obtained when the foam of the topping has a density of 40 kg/m3 and 50 kg/m3 and a compressive hardness of between 1.5 kPa and 2.5 kPa. The density, or weight per unit of volume, is calculated from the ratio of the mass of a foam material to its volume, and takes account of the air trapped in the pores of the foam. It therefore expresses the physical density of the foam material of the topping.

Also preferred is an embodiment of the mattress in which a second topping for recumbent persons is arranged on the opposite side of the bed (typically the underside of the bed) to the first topping. Such mattresses according to the invention as a rule do not comprise carrier layers and therefore possess a bed structure exhibiting mirror symmetry with respect to the bed itself, which is now central. Such a mattress can therefore advantageously be turned over as the need arises in the course of its useful life. In this case the person first of all lies on the one (first) topping with the mattress supported e.g. on a bedstead via the other (second) topping. A further possibility is to endow the one (first) topping surface with first properties (characteristic values) in terms of thickness, compressive hardness and/or density, and the other (second) topping surface with different properties (second characteristic values). Such a mattress can for example be used by patients with different body weights.

In another preferred embodiment, the topping is glued to the bed solely in a marginal region. As there is then no adhesion between the topping and the bed with its elastic bodies in an inner region within the marginal region, the feedback effect of the bed acting through the topping is not hindered or reduced and can be deployed to full effect. The peripheral marginal region in which gluing is effected typically extends approx. 5 cm to 10 cm inwards from the outer edge around the mattress.

In another preferred embodiment the elastic bodies are in the form of cubes and/or rectangular blocks. These shapes of the elastic bodies advantageously exhibit a feedback through the topping that is well localized. Alternatively, the elastic bodies may also be formed as elements with e.g. cylindrical or triangular or other polygonal shapes. The individual elastic bodies may for example be joined to each other (integrally) in a lower region of the bed, or arranged adjacently to but separately from each other.

Also preferred is a development of the preceding embodiment in which the elastic bodies have a maximum cross-section in a plane parallel with the mattress plane of 5 cm by 5 cm. Such a cross-section, smaller than those of known cubes or rectangular blocks, produces a more localized feedback or stimulation of the recumbent person and therefore results in a particularly marked recovery of bodily perception. One-person mattresses with a one-ply bed comprise e.g. up to 800 individual cubes. A corresponding two-ply bed will therefore comprise approx. 1600 individual cubes.

The bed of elastic bodies comprises at least one grid for setting the elastic bodies within the bed, and the grid has a plurality of meshes into which the elastic bodies are individually insertable. Because the elastic bodies inserted in the grid are lightly squeezed or pinched by the meshes of the grid, additional voids are created between adjacent elastic bodies. These voids provide evenly distributed internal (passive) ventilation and allow moisture and heat to be expelled. When the person moves on the mattress, for example while asleep, air is additionally supplied to the mattress by the movement. This indirect (active) ventilation of the mattress further promotes the wellbeing of the recumbent person. The active and passive ventilation of the mattress counteracts the formation of decubitus ulcers and/or helps existing ulcers to heal. In terms of the increase in the dementia patient's perception of his or her own body, the flexible mounting of the elastic bodies in the grid has the further effect that the elastic bodies respond in feedback fashion to movements of the patient and thus additionally increase the patient's bodily perception. A further major benefit of the grid is that, depending on where a decubitus ulcer is located (e.g. in the hip area or in the back area), individual elastic bodies can be removed in the region of the mattress on which the ulcer rests so as to reduce interface pressure in the region of the ulcer. The size of the meshes of the grid is preferably slightly smaller than the cross-section of the individual elastic bodies so that these can be inserted into or removed from the individual meshes of the grid with slight squeezing and are captively held once inserted through the grid. In principle the meshes may have various shapes (for example a variety of polygonal cross-sectional shapes), but in the interests of simplicity and practicality a square shape is preferably adopted. The grid may for example consist of textile material and/or be made flexible for easier insertion of the cubes.

In another preferred embodiment, the elastic bodies are made from foam material.

Advantageously, the feedback effect according to the invention can be supported by elastic bodies made from foam. In particular, a beneficial effect is obtained with foams with a density of between 45 kg/m3 and 55 kg/m3 and/or a compressive hardness of between 4.0 kPa and 6.0 kPa. Alternatively, the elastic bodies can be made from latex or other comparable elastic materials.

In another preferred embodiment, an edge zone reinforcement is provided on one lateral edge of the bed of elastic bodies. This edge zone reinforcement of the mattress increases the mattress's structural stability and in particular its lateral stability. A particularly advantageous benefit is that a person who has been lying down can sit up more easily on this mattress with edge zone reinforcement. The edge zone reinforcement, which is made from foam material, preferably has a density of between 60 kg/m3 and 80 kg/m3 and/or a compressive hardness of between 6.0 kPa and 8.0 kPa. Hence the edge zone reinforcement is generally 40% harder than the bed of elastic bodies, and about three times harder than the topping. The edge zone reinforcement preferably extends over the full length, or at least 80% of the length, of the mattress, and the edge reinforcement can be provided on one side only or on both sides of the mattress. A preferred embodiment of the mattress also has a recess for insertion of a sensor. Advantageously, sensors can then be inserted in such a recess to detect that a person who was initially lying down on the mattress has sat up and moved e.g. to the edge of the mattress or to the edge of the bed in order to get out of bed. In this case, the recess and its sensor are preferably arranged in the region of the edge zone reinforcement, and in particular within the edge zone reinforcement. Such sensors can give early warning to carers or nurses that the (dementia) patient is about to get out of bed. Typically such sensors can be configured as pressure sensors, and can be connected by a wireless or cable connection to a corresponding monitoring system. The sensor recess provided in the mattress according to this embodiment may for example be configured as a cavity, in particular an elongated cavity, in the edge zone reinforcement, or as a slot in the edge zone reinforcement, or as a pocket incorporated in the edge zone reinforcement. The sensor recess has an opening or access at the edge of the mattress through which the sensor can be inserted into or removed from the recess (e.g. the cavity, slot or pocket). As an alternative to locating the recess in the edge zone reinforcement, the recess can also be located e.g. in a central region of the mattress so that a pressure sensor (continuously) detects the presence of the person recumbent on the mattress and triggers an alarm only in the event of the person's sitting up and vacating the bed or mattress (i.e. upon removal of the pressure imparted by the recumbent person).

Further advantages of the invention are revealed by the description and drawings. Also, the features mentioned above and those described below may, in accordance with the invention, be used singly or in any desired combinations. The embodiments shown and described should not be seen as a definitive enumeration, but rather as examples illustrative of the invention. In the figures the invention is shown schematically so as to reveal clearly the essential features of the invention. The illustrations are not necessarily drawn to scale.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1a is a perspective view of a mattress according to the invention;

Fig. 1b shows a detail of a cross-section through the mattress of Fig. 1a;

Fig. 2 is a top view of a mattress according to the invention;

Fig. 3a is a perspective view of an alternative mattress according to the invention;

Fig. 3b shows a detail of a cross-section through the mattress of Fig. 3a;

Fig. 3c is a perspective view of part of a bed of the mattress of Fig. 3a;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a grid;

Fig. 5a is a perspective view of another alternative mattress according to the invention;

Fig. 5b shows a detail of a cross-section through the mattress of Fig. 5a; and

Figs. 6a, 6b are perspective views of two edge zone reinforcements for mattresses according to the invention.

In the following description of the drawings, the same reference symbols are used to designate components that are similar or have similar functions.

Figs. 1 a and 1 b show a mattress 1 which comprises a bed 2 with a large number of elastic bodies 4. In this instance the bed 2 is made up of two plies 3a, 3b that each have elastic bodies 4. The mattress 1 also comprises a topping 5 made from a single layer of foam material for supporting a person, in particular a recumbent person. The topping 5 is arranged on one side (in Fig. 1a, on the top side) of the bed 2. A carrier layer 6 which consists of a (hard) foam material and imparts stability to the mattress 1 is arranged on the other side (in Fig. 1 a, on the underside) of the bed 2. To be capable of performing its stabilizing carrier function, the foam material of the carrier layer 6 typically has a compressive hardness (SH) of at least 4.0 kPa.

On the other hand, the single-layer topping 5 arranged on top of the bed 2 of elastic elements 4 and consisting e.g. of cold foam material has a compressive hardness of 1.6 kPa. The topping 5 moreover has a thickness Di of 2 cm and a density (RG) of 45 kg/m3 and, in conjunction with the bed 2, which is 8 cm thick (D2), produces a stimulating effect on persons recumbent on the topping 5 which in an advantageous manner excites their perception of their own body, and hence, e.g. in the case of dementia patients, results in a recovery of perception that they have lost, in an increase in perception, or at least in a diminution of the loss of perception. This stimulating or exciting effect is produced by the combination of the bed 2 and the topping 5 when a person is reclining on the topping 5 as the response of the mattress 1 to the weight of the recumbent person. The individual elastic bodies 4 configured as cubes (or in the case of two-ply beds 2, the elastic bodies 4 of the upper ply 3a) act through the topping 5, and are perceptible to the recumbent persons through the topping 5.

The stimulation effect (or feedback effect) is especially pronounced with a topping 5 with the abovementioned values for compressive hardness, density and thickness and a bed 2 with the abovementioned thickness (SH = 1.6 kPa; RG = 45 kg/cm3; Di = 2 cm; D2 = 8 cm). However, there is still a beneficial effect with topping foam compressive hardnesses of up to 4.0 kPa and with a topping foam thickness D·, of up to 5 cm. There is a high degree of stimulation with a thickness D-\ of the topping 5 of between 2 cm and 3 cm and/or a compressive hardness of the topping foam of between 1.5 kPa and 2 kPa and/or a density of the topping foam of between 40 kg/m3 and 50 kg/m3.

Fig. 2 shows a mattress 1, such as e.g. the mattress 1 of Figs. 1 a and 1 b, with a peripheral marginal region 9 bounded by the dotted line 7 and the outer edge 8 of the mattress 1. Gluing (with adhesive suitable for the foam materials involved) is performed between the topping 5 and the bed 2 in the peripheral margin 9, sticking the bed 2 and the topping 5 together and thus contributing to the stability and integrity of the mattress 1. Consequently the topping 5 is stuck to the bed 2 solely in the peripheral margin 9. Since there is no adhesion between the topping 5 and the bed 2 in the inner region 10, the stimulating effect can be fully exerted through the topping 5 without any hindrance.

Figs. 3a to 3c show another mattress 1, in which a second topping 5 for supporting a recumbent person is arranged on the opposite side of the bed 2 to the first topping 5.

The mattress 1 is therefore constructed with mirror symmetry with respect to a central plane 11 extending centrally through the bed 2. Hence the mattress 1 can be turned over to use either the one (first) topping 5 or the other (second) topping 5.

As can be seen from the cross-section in Fig. 3b, the bed 2 of the mattress 1 is made up of a single ply, with the individual elastic bodies 4 of the bed 2 configured as rectangular blocks all secured by a flexible grid 12 (which in this instance coincides with the central plane 11). A detail of the grid 12 is shown in Fig. 4. It has a multitude of square meshes 13 into which the elastic bodies 4, which are configured as rectangular blocks, are individually insertable. The grid 12 may for example consist of a PVC-coated, flexible textile material. The grid 12 serves to set the individual elastic bodies 4 in the bed 2, and preferably has a mesh size smaller than the cross-section of the individual elastic bodies 4 (the size of the individual elastic bodies 4 in a cross-sectional plane substantially parallel with the mattress plane 11, or central plane 11, is preferably not more than D3 = 5 cm by D4 = 5 cm; cf. Fig. 3c). Individual elastic bodies 4 can then be inserted in or removed from the individual smaller meshes 13 of the grid 12 with slight squeezing at the waist 14, and are captively held once inserted through the grid. The pinching of the cubes 4 at their waist 14 creates small voids 15 between adjacent elastic bodies 4 which advantageously allow ventilation of the interior of the mattress. The grid 12 can also be designed so that adjacent elastic bodies 4 inserted in the meshes 13 are spaced further apart from each other than by the gap produced by the pinch at the waist.

The flexible mounting of the elastic bodies 4 in the grid 12 has the effect that the elastic bodies 4 respond in feedback fashion to the recumbent person's movements (for example while asleep) and thus additionally excite his or her bodily perception by way of the stimulation effect. Furthermore, the ventilation made possible by the voids 15 in the mattress 1 counteract the formation of decubitus ulcers or help existing ulcers to be allowed to heal. Also, individual elastic bodies 4 can be removed wherever a patient's decubitus ulcer is resting on the mattress 1 to reduce interface pressure in the region of the ulcer and improve healing.

Another mattress 1, with a two-ply bed 2 with a topping 5 arranged on top and a carrier layer 6 arranged underneath, is shown in Figs. 5a and 5b. Each of the two plies 3a, 3b of the bed 2 has a grid 12 for the mutual arrangement of the elastic bodies 4, which in this case are configured as cubes. The mattress 1 also has a foam-type edge zone reinforcement 17 arranged on one lateral edge 16 of the bed 2. The edge zone reinforcement 17 increases the structural stability of the mattress 1 and makes it easier for recumbent persons to sit up. The edge zone reinforcement 17 in Fig. 5a extends over the entire length of the mattress 1. However, it will be evident that the edge zone reinforcement 17 may for example extend over only 80% of the overall length of the mattress 1. Although the edge zone reinforcement 17 of the mattress 1 is shown in Fig. 5a on just one lateral edge 16 of the bed 2, a corresponding edge zone reinforcement 17 can also be provided on the other lateral edge of the bed 2 as well. This will enable a recumbent person to sit up on either side of the mattress 1.

Finally, Figs. 6a and 6b show alternative embodiments of different edge zone reinforcements 17 that can be used e.g. for the edge zone reinforcement 17 of the mattress 1 of Figs. 5a, 5b. The edge zone reinforcements 17 of Figs. 6a, 6b each have a recess 18 for a sensor 19 which can be inserted into the edge zone reinforcements 17. The sensor 19, which is typically configured as a pressure sensor, can advantageously detect when a (sick) person recumbent on the mattress 1 sits up and moves to the edge of the mattress, or to the edge zone reinforcement 17, in order to vacate the bed. Thus carers or nurses can be given early warning.

The recesses 18 for the sensor 19 shown in Figs. 6a and 6b are configured as elongated slots (slots extending in the longitudinal direction 20 of the edge zone reinforcement 17), the slot in Fig. 6a being open at the edge and the slot in Fig. 6b being closed at the edge. The mattresses 1 are typically shrouded in a protective cover, in which case the protective cover preferably has a corresponding opening or access in the region of the slots (at the head and foot, in the case of the slot in Fig. 6a; at the edge also, in the case of the slot in Fig. 6b) for insertion or removal of the sensor 19. The recesses 18 or slots may also have a protective covering e.g. on their respective inner side to protect the sensor 19 from the excreta of persons recumbent on the mattress 1. This will protect a sensor 19 that has been inserted in the recess 18 from any such excreta, and ensure its functionality.

For the sake of clarity, all the mattresses 1 in the figures are shown without protective covers. It will be evident that the mattresses 1 can be provided with protective covers, e.g. of thin polyurethane-coated polyester fabric.

Claims (11)

A mattress (1) comprising a layer (2) having a plurality of resilient bodies (4) and a top layer (5) formed by a single layer of foam for reclining persons, wherein the top layer (5) is arranged on one side of the layer ( 2), said layer (2) of elastic bodies (4) comprising at least one grid (12) for arranging said elastic bodies (4) within said layer (2) and said grid network (12) having a plurality of meshes (13) ) into which the resilient bodies (4) can be introduced individually, characterized in that the top layer (5) is less than 5 cm thick and has a hardness less than 4 kPa. Mattress according to claim 1, characterized in that the top layer (5) is between 2 cm and 3 cm thick. Mattress according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hardness of the foam of the top layer (5) is between 1.5 kPa and 2 kPa. Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the density of the foam of the top layer (5) is between 40 kg / m3 and 50 kg / m3. Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an additional top layer (5) for reclining persons is arranged on the opposite side of the layer (2) relative to the first layer (5). Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the top layer (5) is glued to the layer (2) only in an edge area (9). Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elastic bodies (4) are in the form of cube-shaped and / or rectangular blocks. Mattress according to claim 7, characterized in that the elastic bodies (4) have a maximum size in cross-section in a plane parallel to the mattress plane (11) of 5 cm (D3) by 5 cm (D4). Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elastic bodies (4) are made of foam material. Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an edge zone reinforcement (17) is provided on a side edge (16) of the layer (2). Mattress according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mattress (1) has an outlet (18) for insertion of a sensor (19).