JP2003135223A - Cushion having shape holding function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cushion capable of holding the reversed shape according to the shape of a part of a user's body to disperse the pressure and preventing the occurrence of instantaneous functional loss due to puncture. SOLUTION: This cushion is formed of a base cushion 10 made of urethane foam as raw material and having a required shape, a bag body 12 made by a film sheet as raw material having excellent air-tightness and closely surrounding the whole of the base cushion in the air-tight state, and a valve 16 disposed in the bag body 12 for closing to freely open the communication of the inside with the outside of the bag body. Under the condition where the valve is opened, the required part of the human body is applied to the outside of the bag body to apply the body weight thereto, whereby while the air in the bag body is released to the outside through the valve, the base cushion is deformed according to the shape of the required part of the human body, and the valve is closed in the timing of reaching a desired degree of deformation so that the base cushion can hold its shape according to the required part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushion having a shape-retaining function, and more specifically, it is suitable for being laid on a seat of a wheelchair, for example, and is faithful to the shape of a required part of a human body, for example, the buttocks. The present invention relates to a nearly custom-made cushion that can favorably disperse the pressure due to body weight by holding the inverted shape following the above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a disabled person or an elderly person who uses a wheelchair on a daily basis often puts a cushion made of sponge or urethane foam on the seat of the wheelchair before sitting. This is because the cushion ensures a comfortable sitting comfort and stability when sitting.
By the way, if you continue to sit in a wheelchair for a long time, depending on the material and form of the cushion, it may cause pressure ulcer (so-called floor rub), or may not be able to obtain a sufficient sense of stability when sitting. .

[0003]

Therefore, conventionally, a so-called air cushion has been used in which air is pressed from a valve body to inflate into a cushion-like airtight hollow bag body made of a material such as vinyl. . This air cushion has the advantage that it disperses the pressure applied to the part of the human body (gluteus) on which the weight of the user is applied, and thus has a high ability to prevent pressure ulcers. However, it is difficult to adjust the amount of air to be injected into the air cushion, and since the weight of the user is supported only by the air pressure, there is a drawback that the user is swaying and unstable when sitting.

Further, as a fatal drawback, when the film made of a material such as a vinyl film forming the air cushion is largely broken, the air cushion becomes punctured and the cushion function is lost instantaneously. Can be mentioned. In general, wheelchair users often have reduced or lost motor functions of various parts of the body. For this reason, even if the puncture of the air cushion is not particularly troublesome for a healthy person, the user of the wheelchair cannot take the physical defense action in a sudden manner and may slip off the wheelchair. However, there have been reported cases where the user feels uncomfortable shock and refrains from using the air cushion.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned cushion made of sponge or the like has a merit that it can be used easily and at low cost without instantaneous loss of function due to puncture.
Depressurization, that is, the ability to prevent pressure ulcers associated with prolonged sitting is low. Moreover, it is pointed out that the conventional cushion lacks a feeling of conformity when the body shape of the user, particularly a specific part of the human body, is deformed.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks inherent in the air cushion and the ordinary cushion according to the prior art, and it is a human body part of a specific user, For example, an object of the present invention is to provide a cushion that can hold an inverted shape following the shape of the buttocks for a long time, can appropriately disperse pressure due to body weight, and does not cause momentary loss of function due to puncture. And

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, a cushion having a shape retaining function according to the present invention comprises a base cushion made of urethane foam and having a required shape, and an airtight seal. Made of a film sheet having excellent properties, and a bag body that tightly surrounds the entire base cushion in a completely airtight state, and a bag body disposed inside the bag body to open communication between the inside and outside of the bag body. A valve that freely closes, and while the valve is open, a desired portion of the human body is applied to the outside of the bag body to add weight, so that the air inside the bag body is removed. The base cushion is deformed in accordance with the shape of a required portion of the human body while escaping to the outside through a valve, and the valve is closed at a timing when a desired degree of deformation is achieved. Required Characterized by being configured as capable of holding the position of the shape. In this case, the urethane foam constituting the base cushion has a physical property of hardness 4
0～250N, selected from the range of density of 100 to 1000 / m ^2, in particular hardness 147 N, is given to the density of 343kg / m ² is preferred.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, a cushion having a shape retaining function according to the present invention will be described with reference to preferred embodiments.
The following is a description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, as an example, a cushion for laying on a seat of a wheelchair is specifically described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Of course, it can be applied to cushions such as pillows and backrests.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cushion according to an embodiment in an exploded state, and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a completed state of the cushion. In actual use, the cushion is housed in a bag-shaped protective cover made of a material having a low friction, but this is not a requirement of the invention, so the illustration is omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a base cushion made of urethane foam and having a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape. As an example, the dimensions of the base cushion 10 are 36 cm in width, 40 cm in length, and 6 cm in height. is there. Further, the physical properties of the urethane foam constituting the base cushion 10 are such that the hardness is 40 to 250 N and the density is 100.
And within the range of ~1000kg / m ^2, the preferred hardness is a and density 147N is 343kg / m ^2, but is not limited thereto. With such a physical property value, when the user sits on the base cushion 10, a proper degree of depression and elasticity are felt.

The hardness described in the claims and the text and the text below is measured in the following manner. That is, assuming that the thickness of the test body (dimensions 50 × 390 × 390 mm) when a load of 4.9 N is applied is 100, pre-compression of 75% is performed in the thickness direction with a 200φ disc, and then the same. 25% compression is performed in the thickness direction and the hardness (unit N) after 20 seconds is measured with a hardness tester.

The base cushion 10 having the flat shape.
Is housed in a bag body 12 made of a film sheet such as a polyurethane film or a vinyl chloride film having excellent airtightness.
The whole is tightly enclosed in a completely airtight state. Although the bag 12 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to have a slight space between the bag 12 and the outer periphery of the base cushion 10, in reality, the bag 12 closely fits the six outer surfaces of the base cushion 10. It is ready to go. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, in a free state in which no force is applied from the outside, the bag body 12 has the base cushion 1
Although it is in close contact with the outer periphery of 0, it is in a flat state because no excessive stress is applied at all.

At a required portion of the bag body 12, for example, at a position directed toward the front side of the seat 15 of the wheelchair, as shown in FIG.
A valve 16 is provided which is openable so as to spatially communicate the inside and the outside of the bag body 12 by a manual operation and is always closed so as to block the communication. This valve 16 is provided with a lever which can be tilted and raised so that it can be operated by pinching it with fingers. By raising the lever, a valve body (not shown) incorporated therein is opened to open the inside of the bag body 12 to the atmosphere. The valve body is closed and the communication between the inside of the bag body 12 and the atmosphere can be completely cut off by closing the valve body.

As described above, the air inside the bag escapes into the bag 12 in which the base cushion 10 is hermetically housed.
A valve 16 that can be stopped is provided. Therefore, as will be described later, when the user sits on the base cushion 10 from above the bag 12 and puts his / her weight on the base cushion 10, the valve 16 may be left open so that the base cushion 10 is attached to the base cushion 10 as the weight is added. The contained air is released into the atmosphere via the valve 16. And base cushion 1
In 0, the part where the user's buttocks are in contact is gradually recessed and deformed to form an inverted shape following the shape of the buttocks. Then, when the user obtains the most appropriate sitting comfort or stability, if the valve 16 is closed, the air release is stopped at that time, and the base cushion 10 faithfully follows the shape of the buttocks of the user. The inverted concave shape is retained as it is.

In order for the base cushion 10 to maintain the shape of the user's buttocks and the like, the structure of the internal air bubbles at a high ratio of urethane foam or the like, which is the material of the base cushion 10, is used. A so-called closed cell structure which is independent and has a low open cell rate is preferable. This is because most of the air released by the weight of the user and unevenly distributed in the base cushion 10 having a predetermined shape is held in the independent bubbles, so that the free movement of the air is restricted. As a result, the current shape is retained. However, on the other hand, the closed cell structure is
When the weight is added to the base cushion 10 in the open state, it also becomes a factor that hinders the release of the air retained inside the cushion 10 into the atmosphere.

The shape-retaining property of the base cushion 10 can be sufficiently ensured by closely surrounding the entire base cushion 10 with the bag 12 in a completely airtight state. Therefore, the shape retention of the base cushion 10 and the escape of the internal air do not depend on the bubble structure of the cushion 10, but the air permeability is within a certain range, so that the cushion according to the present invention requires the shape retention. It is possible to develop sex.

Regarding the air permeability required for exhibiting the above-mentioned shape-retaining property, it is 30 to 250 cm ³ / cm ² /
It is set in the range of sec. When the air permeability is in this range, the air is satisfactorily distributed by the valve 16, that is, the shape is maintained, without impairing the appropriate depression and elasticity achieved by the hardness and density of the base cushion 10 described above. And the escape of the air inside the cushion 10 can both be achieved. This breathability is 30 cm ³ / cm ² / se
When it is less than c, the escape of the internal air in the base cushion 10 is deteriorated, and the opening time of the valve 16 described later ([0023] exceeds 10 to 20 seconds,
The convenience is impaired in actual use. On the other hand, if the air permeability exceeds 250 cm ³ / cm ² / sec, the above-mentioned shape retention is deteriorated, and the sitting comfort and stability during use are impaired. Further, it becomes difficult to form a predetermined shape during manufacturing, which may cause deterioration of manufacturing cost.

1 and 2, reference numeral 18 denotes a thin top cushion which is detachably mounted on the upper surface of the bag body 12. The top cushion 18 is made of urethane foam having a particularly low coefficient of restitution. There is. The physical properties of the urethane foam that constitutes the top cushion 18 are
The hardness is selected from the range of 10 to 300 N and the density of 100 to 1500 kg / m ² , and in particular the hardness of 186 N and the density of 833 kg.
/ m ² is preferred. The top cushion 18 is a two-layered cushion 2 having different low restitution coefficients.
It is more preferable if it is composed of 0.22.

The top cushion 18 is the bag 1
2 (and the base cushion 10) is detachable, so that it can be kept clean always by easily removing it and washing. Further, since the bag body 12 is made of a film sheet, when the user sits as it is, the buttocks are slippery, and when the deformed bones are projected to the buttocks, the contact area is small. Although it may cause pain and the like, the provision of the top cushion 18 has the effect of ensuring a large contact area and dispersing the pressure.

1 and 2, reference numeral 24 indicates an anchor cushion having a triangular cross section provided on the front side surface of the bag body 12 accommodating the base cushion 10. The anchor cushion 24 is made of high hardness urethane foam. Is used as the material. The anchor cushion 24
The physical properties of the urethane foam that constitutes
000n, are selected from the range of density of 100 to 1000 / m ^2, in particular hardness 1274N, density 490 kg / m ² is preferred.

The anchor cushion 24 is recommended to be used together when the base cushion 10 is laid on a seat such as a wheelchair.
It is possible to effectively receive the forward load of the thigh of the person who is seated on the base cushion 10 housed in the front cushion 10, and as a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the forward displacement. Moreover, since the weight of the lower leg of the user can be properly received by the thigh, the load balance of the entire seat surface when seated can be made appropriate.

Next, the actual use of the cushion having the shape retaining function according to the embodiment thus constructed will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The bag 12
The base cushion 10 stored in is in a flat state as shown in FIG. 2 in a no-load state before use. However, if the base cushion 10 is laid on the seat 15 of the wheelchair and then the valve 16 is manually operated to be seated, the base cushion 1 is loaded depending on the weight of the user.
0 sinks, and the air inside the cushion is discharged to the outside through the valve 16 (see FIG. 3). If the base cushion 10 is depressed to an appropriate state and the valve 16 is closed at an appropriate timing when the shape of the user's buttocks is recessed in the base cushion as an inverted shape, the air escapes. Immediately stopped. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the shape of the user's buttocks is faithfully inverted and formed on the base cushion 10 to hold it.

In this case, for example, if the opening time of the valve 16 is set according to the weight of the user, anyone can adjust the pressure to an appropriate pressure and it is convenient. As an example, it is recommended that a guideline of 10 to 15 seconds for a person weighing 60 kg and 15 to 20 seconds for a person weighing 70 kg be provided in advance. Generally, when the valve 16 is opened, the time when the internal air escapes from the base cushion 10 is the same.
It is obvious that, when the user is using, the weight varies depending on the weight of the user, and that the heavier the weight, the shorter the length, and the lighter the weight the longer.
However, if the opening time for determining an appropriate pressure adjustment for use depends only on the valve 16, it becomes difficult for a user with a heavy weight to finely adjust the pressure, and the weight is light. In the case of the user, it takes too much time to obtain a pressure suitable for use. That is, as for the problem relating to the weight, it may be difficult to appropriately deal with a user who is too light such as an infant by only setting the opening time of the valve 16. In such a case, it is preferable to adopt a method of arbitrarily changing the air permeability of the base cushion 10 described above as a means for controlling the opening time. For example, as described above, when the user is an infant whose weight is too light, by setting the breathability to a large value, it is possible to easily set a suitable opening time (about 10 to 20 seconds described above). Become.

According to the cushion according to the embodiment thus constructed, a shape in which the shape of the buttocks of the seated user of the wheelchair is inverted is formed on the cushion, and the inverted shape is retained for a long time. can do. Therefore, there is an advantage that the most stable and appropriate sitting posture can be secured according to the shape of the buttocks and the degree of the obstacle of the specific user who uses the wheelchair. Further, even if the bag body 12 is damaged, the base cushion 10 accommodated in the bag body 12 slowly supports the weight of the user, which causes a problem of sudden shock caused by a so-called punctured state. It can be effectively avoided.

[0025]

As described above, according to the cushion having the shape-retaining function of the present invention, the inverted shape faithfully following the shape of the human body part of a specific user, for example, the buttocks, can be maintained for a long time. Since it can be held, it is possible to stably secure the most appropriate sitting posture according to the body shape of the individual and the degree of the obstacle. Moreover, even if the bag body is damaged and the air inside escapes all at once, the base cushion can support the user's weight slowly, so the puncture that the conventional air cushion has There is an advantage that it can give the user a great sense of security without any functional loss.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cushion according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in an exploded state.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a completed state of the cushion shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the base cushion sinks due to weight when the valve is opened and seated, and air is released through the valve due to the depression.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory perspective view schematically showing a state in which a user's buttocks shape is faithfully inverted and formed on the base cushion.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 base cushion 12 bags 16 valves 18 top cushion 20,22 2 layer seat cushion 24 anchor cushion

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) A61G 5/00 503 A61G 5/00 503 5/02 506 5/02 506 (72) Inventor Shuichi Yoshida Kanagawa 380-5, Horiyamashita, Hadano City Inoac Research Institute Ltd. (72) Inventor Kiyomi Matsuo 550-4 Igusu, Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan Labor and Welfare Corporation General Injury Center Medical Engineering Laboratory (72) Inventor Ehara Yoshito Iizuka, Fukuoka 550-4 Igusu, Labor and Welfare Corporation General Crash Center Medical Engineering Research Laboratory F-term (reference) 3B084 CA04 3B096 AB05 AB08 AD03 AD07

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A bag which is made of urethane foam and has a base cushion (10) of a required shape, and a film sheet having excellent airtightness, which tightly surrounds the entire base cushion (10) in an airtight state. A body (12) and a valve (16) disposed in the bag body (12) for opening and closing communication between the inside and the outside of the bag body (12). ) Is open, by applying a required part of the human body to the outside of the bag body (12) and adding weight,
While allowing the air inside the bag (12) to escape to the outside through the valve (16), the base cushion (10) is deformed according to the shape of the required part of the human body, and the desired degree of deformation is obtained. A cushion having a shape-retaining function, characterized in that the base cushion (10) is configured to hold the shape of the required portion by closing the valve (16) at the timing when the above-mentioned change occurs. 2. The physical properties of the urethane foam constituting the base cushion (10) have a hardness of 40 to 250 N and a density of 1
00~1000kg / m is selected from ² range, especially hardness 147 N, cushion with the shape holding function according to claim 1, wherein a density 343kg / m ² are preferred. 3. The physical properties of the urethane foam constituting the base cushion (10) have a breathability of 30 to 250 cm ³ /
Claim selected from the range of cm ² / sec 1 or 2
A cushion having the described shape retention function. 4. A top cushion (18) made of urethane foam having a low coefficient of restitution is detachably attached to the upper surface of a bag (12) accommodating the base cushion (10), and the top cushion (18) is attached. Is composed of two layers of sheet-like cushions (20, 22) set to different low restitution coefficients.
A cushion having the described shape retention function. 5. The urethane foam forming the top cushion (10) has physical properties of hardness of 10 to 300 N and density of 1
A cushion having a shape-retaining function according to claim 4, which is selected from the range of 0 to 1500 kg / m ² , and is particularly preferably a hardness of 186 N and a density of 833 kg / m ² . 6. When the base cushion (10) is used as a seat cushion for a wheelchair or the like, a high hardness urethane foam is formed on the lower front surface of the bag body (12) accommodating the base cushion (10). An anchor cushion (24) which is made of a material and suppresses slippage with the seat is mounted.
A cushion having the described shape retention function. 7. The physical properties of the urethane foam constituting the anchor cushion (24) have a hardness of 100 to 2000 N,
It is selected from the range of density of 100 to 1000 / m ^2, in particular hardness 1274N, cushion with the shape holding function as claimed in claim 6, wherein the density 490 kg / m ² are preferred.