JP2003265275A - Cushion for maintaining seating position - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cushion (kneeling cushion) in which posture is hard to be collapsed over a long time and a seating position is maintained over a long time and also is excellent in seating feeling and has comfortableness. <P>SOLUTION: This cushion has a structure of upper and lower layers, and the seat surface of the lower layer in which the hip is sunk is scooped out ≥18 cm and ≤24 cm in the length direction of the seat surface and ≥30 cm and ≤36 cm in the width direction. The cushion material has a flat plate between the upper and lower layers in the structure having the upper and lower layers. The flat plate is arranged in the lower part of the thigh. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushion (comfort cushion) which is capable of maintaining a comfortable posture on a seat when the user sits on a chair for a long period of time. In particular, the present invention relates to a cushion for a wheelchair of a physically handicapped person or the like who can change his / her posture.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Bicycles, automobiles, railway vehicles, passenger planes,
Cushion material for wheelchairs, cotton, wool, foam material (particularly urethane foam), polymer gel material, non-elastic crimped fiber stuffing, resin cotton or hard cotton to which non-elastic crimped fiber is adhered, and air Cushions (air cushions) are used.

The purpose of these cushions is to compensate the hardness of the seat surface and improve the sitting comfort (body pressure dispersibility). Therefore, although it has appropriate softness, it is easy to lose its posture, and it is difficult to keep cleanliness for some things.

There are also cushions for the purpose of maintaining the posture, but these materials have different performances such as non-breathable materials filled with polymer gel and various foam materials (particularly urethane foam). Is a complex combination of. When a non-breathable material is used as a cushion as described above, the humidity in the clothing of the buttocks rises, and a feeling of discomfort is felt, which is not comfortable. In particular, in the case of elderly people whose posture is difficult to change, an increase in humidity in the buttocks leads to promotion of pressure ulcers, which is not preferable.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cushion (cushion) which is stable in posture and maintains a sitting posture for a long time, and which is excellent in sitting comfort and comfort. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cushion (cushion) for a wheelchair that maintains a sitting posture, has excellent dispersibility in body pressure, reduces a feeling of swelling, and prevents pressure ulcers.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following constitutions. That is, the cushion has an upper and lower two-layer structure, and the lower-layer seat surface has a seat length direction of 18 cm or more and 24 cm or less and a seat width direction of 30 cm.
The seated position holding cushion is characterized in that a portion not less than 36 cm is hollowed out. Specifically, the thickness of the lower seating surface is 2 cm or more and 4 cm or less, and the thickness of the upper seating surface is 2 cm.
The above-mentioned sitting position holding cushion having a height of 4 cm or less, the above-mentioned sitting position holding cushion having a two-layer structure in which the upper portion seating surface has a bulk density of 45 kg / m ³ or more and 65 kg / m ³ or less; A cushioning material in which a flat plate is arranged between layers in a layered structure, wherein the flat plate is arranged at a lower part of the thigh, and the sitting position holding cushion and the cushioning material are reticulated structures. The sitting position holding cushion described above.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention employs the following methods in order to realize a cushion with sitting ability, sitting comfort (pressure dispersion), and comfort (reduction of discomfort).

It can be said that the sacrum does not move for a long time and the posture does not easily collapse unless the buttocks move forward and sideward of the seat surface in order to satisfy the sitting posture. Especially when the thigh is located above the buttocks, the movement of the sacrum can be prevented. However, in the case of many cushions, there are many cushions with which the upper seat surface is pulled out, but in this case, pressure is applied near the greater trochanter of the thigh, causing discomfort to the user and increasing the resistance. In the low age group, it also causes the development of pressure ulcers. The present invention has found that, instead of hollowing out the upper-layer seating surface to sink the buttocks, the lower-layer seating surface is hollowed out to prevent movement of the buttocks, pressure concentration, etc. is eliminated, and a sitting posture is obtained. .

The size of the hollow portion of the seat surface of the lower layer is 18 cm or more and 24 cm or less in the length direction of the seat surface, and 3 in the width direction of the seat surface.
It is preferably 0 cm or more and 36 cm or less. If it is less than 18 cm in the seat surface length direction, pressure concentration near the greater trochanter of the thigh and lack of seating ability are unsuitable, and if it exceeds 24 cm in the seat surface length direction, the buttocks (sacral part) is forward. Moves to, and lacks sitting ability. 30 cm in the seat width direction
If less than, it is unsuitable because pressure concentration and seating ability in the vicinity of the greater trochanter of the thigh and the side of the buttocks are insufficient.
If it exceeds cm, the buttocks (sacrum) will move to the side and lack in sitting ability. In particular, the size of the hollowed-out portion of the lower seating surface is preferably 20 cm or more and 22 cm or less in the seating surface length direction and 32 cm or more and 34 cm or less in the seating surface width direction.

The thickness of the seat surface of the lower layer is preferably 2 cm or more and 4 cm or less. If the thickness of the lower seat is less than 2 cm, the height of the thigh and buttocks is small, so the buttocks do not sink and the seat retainability is lacking, which is unsuitable, and the thickness of the lower seat exceeds 4 cm. Then, because the difference in height between the thigh and the buttock is large, the buttock sinks, a floor is attached, and pressure concentration occurs. In particular, the thickness of the seat surface of the lower layer portion is preferably 2.5 cm or more and 3.5 cm or less.

The thickness of the seat surface of the upper layer portion is preferably 2 cm or more and 4 cm or less. If the thickness of the upper seat is less than 2 cm, the height of the thighs and buttocks is small, so the buttocks do not sink and the floor is attached to cause pressure concentration, which is inappropriate. When the height exceeds 4 cm, the hips have a small height of the thighs and buttocks, and the buttocks do not sink, resulting in poor seating retention. In particular, the thickness of the seat surface of the upper layer portion is preferably 2.5 cm or more and 3.5 cm or less.

The bulk density of the seat surface of the upper layer is preferably 45 kg / m ³ or more and 65 kg / m ³ or less. Bulk density is 4
When it is less than 5 kg / m ³ , pressure is generated because the floor is attached to the buttocks and pressure concentration occurs, and when the bulk density exceeds 65 kg / m ³ , pressure concentration occurs in the thigh, sacrum, and ischium. Especially, the bulk density of the upper seat is 50 kg / m ³ or more 6
It is preferably 0 kg / m ³ or less.

It is desirable that the flat plate provided between the upper and lower cushioning layers does not easily deform due to weight in order to hold the upper surface of the thigh. As the material, any material such as glass, wood, metal plate and various polymer sheets (fabric such as knitted fabric and woven fabric) can be used, but from the viewpoint of environment, polyester sheet is preferable.

As the material of the cushion material, hard cotton (fiber cushion) and foamed urethane in which polyester short fibers and low melting point adhesive fibers are mixed and thermocompression molded to adjust the thickness and compression characteristics, More preferably,
A reticulated structure made of a polyester-based thermoplastic resin in which a continuous linear random loop made of a thermoplastic elastomer having rubber elasticity is formed into a three-dimensional spring structure can be used.

The polyester of the present invention means polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),
Polycyclohexylene dimethyl terephthalate (PCH
DT), polyethylene isophthalate (PEI) and the like and their copolyesters such as block copolymers of PBT and polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG),
The main repeating unit such as a copolymer of PET and PEI is made of polyester. The polyester elastomer is a block copolymer of a hard segment and a soft segment. Examples of the hard segment include PET, PEN, PBT and PCHDT, and examples of the soft segment include PTMG and polohexamethylene glycol (PHMG). ), Polypropylene glycol (PPG), polycaprolactam (PCL) and the like.

Since the reticulated structure of the present invention has a random loop three-dimensional spring structure consisting of continuous filaments, it has a large gap between its upper surface and lower surface. Therefore, when the net-like structure is used as a padding for bedding, air, heat and moisture can be transferred between the body of the user of the bedding and the bottom surface of the bedding, and the occurrence of discomfort can be suppressed. It is possible to obtain a comfortable seating feeling for the user.

The upper seat cushioning material, the lower seat cushioning material and the flat plate can be bonded by an inorganic adhesive,
There is no particular limitation such as an organic adhesive or a low melting point non-woven fabric bonding method.

[0018]

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to Examples.
The present invention is not limited to these. The evaluation method used in the present invention is as follows. (1) Clinical Evaluation A sample cushion was placed on a wheelchair (manufactured by NICK) and used by 8 test subjects for 2 weeks for the following evaluation. 1) Retention of sitting position (front): The degree of the feeling of shifting to the front after sitting was evaluated by a subjective report. Does not shift to the front: ◎, does not shift to the front: ○ Slightly shifts to the front: △, shifts to the front: × 2) Sedentary retention (side): Subjective declaration of the degree of shift to the side after sitting evaluated. No lateral shift: ◎, Almost no lateral shift: ○ Slight lateral shift: △, Lateral shift: × 3) Pressure dispersion (sacral region): After sitting, pressure is felt on the sacral region Was evaluated by subjective declaration. No feeling: ◎, almost no feeling: ○ Slightly felt: △, felt: × 4) Pressure dispersiveness (thigh): The degree to which pressure was felt on the thigh after sitting was evaluated by a subjective report. Not felt: ◎, hardly felt: ○ Slightly felt: △, felt: × 5) Discomfort: The degree of discomfort felt in the buttocks when sitting was evaluated by a subjective report. Not felt: ◎, hardly felt: ○ Slightly felt: △, felt: ×

Cushion making method: Examples 1 to 1 below
A sitting position holding cushion was prepared using the members shown in No. 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 12. The adhesive of the member was fixed by a conventional organic adhesive.

Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 Cushion material: Reticulated structure made of polyester thermoplastic resin (Breath Air, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) Upper surface seat surface: Bulk density 55 kg / m ³ , thickness 3.5 cm,
Width 42 cm, length 40 cm Lower surface seating surface: bulk density 65 kg / m ³ , thickness 3.0 cm,
Width 36 cm, length 40 cm Flat plate: Polyester warp knit (Stretch Fine SH-
100, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) Lower surface seat surface hollowing part: Table 1 shows the lengths in the seat surface length direction and the seat surface width direction.

[0021]

[Table 1]

Example 4, Comparative Examples 5 to 8 Cushion material: Reticulated structure made of polyester thermoplastic resin (Breath Air, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) Lower surface seating surface: Bulk density 70 kg / m ³ , thickness 3. 0 cm,
Width 36 cm, length 40 cm Lower layer seat surface hollowing part: seat surface length direction 22 cm, seat surface width direction 33 cm Flat plate: polyester knit (Cosmo Grid CG-8, Toyobo Co., Ltd.) Upper layer seat surface: width 42 cm, Length 40 cm Table 2 shows the bulk density and thickness of the upper seating surface.

[0023]

[Table 2]

Comparative Examples 9 to 11 Cushion material: Polyurethane foam lower layer seating surface: Bulk density 65 kg / m ³ , thickness 3.0 cm,
Width 36 cm, length 40 cm Lower layer seat surface hollowing part: seat surface length direction 22 cm, seat surface width direction 33 cm Flat plate: polyester knit (Cosmo Grid CG-8, Toyobo Co., Ltd.) Upper layer seat surface: width 42 cm, Length 40 cm Table 3 shows the bulk density and thickness of the upper bearing surface.

[0025]

[Table 3]

Comparative Example 12 Cushion material: Reticulated structure made of polyester thermoplastic resin (Breath Air, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) Upper part seat surface: Bulk density 55 kg / m ³ , thickness 3.5 cm,
Width 42 cm, length 40 cm Lower surface seating surface: bulk density 65 kg / m ³ , thickness 3.0 cm,
Width 36 cm, length 40 cm Flat plate: None Lower part seat surface hollowing part: seat surface length direction 22 cm, seat surface width direction 33 cm

Table 4 shows the evaluation results of the sitting support cushions of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 12.

[Table 4]

[0028]

[Effects of the Invention] The sitting support cushion of the present invention is unlikely to lose its sitting posture even after sitting for a long time. In particular, even if the user sits in a chair or a wheelchair for a long time, it is possible to prevent the buttocks from shifting to the front or side and becoming a sacral sitting, which poses a heavy burden on the body. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the feeling of discomfort due to sweat or the like from the skin.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a sitting support cushion according to an example of the present invention when viewed from the rear.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 1 of the sitting support cushion according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ in FIG. 1 of the sitting support cushion according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing an example of the positional relationship between a lower bearing member and a flat plate in the sitting support cushion according to an example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1… Upper surface seat cushion material 2 ... Lower surface cushioning material 3 ... Flat plate 4 ... Seating surface length direction 5 ... Seat width direction 6 ... sitting support cushion

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cushion having an upper and lower two-layer structure,
The seat surface of the lower layer where the buttocks sink is 18 in the seat length direction.
cm or more and 24 cm or less, 30 cm or more in the seat width direction 36
A sitting cushion that is hollowed out below cm. 2. The seated position holding cushion according to claim 1, wherein the lower-layer seating surface has a thickness of 2 cm or more and 4 cm or less and the upper-layer seating surface has a thickness of 2 cm or more and 4 cm or less. 3. The upper surface of the bearing surface has a bulk density of 45 kg / m ³ or more 6
The sitting cushion according to claim 1, which has a two-layer structure of 5 kg / m ³ or less. 4. A cushioning material according to claim 1, which is a cushioning material in which flat plates are arranged between layers in the upper and lower two-layer structure, and the flat plates are arranged in a lower part of the thigh. 5. The seated position holding cushion according to claim 1, wherein the cushion material is a net-like structure.