JP2006051335A - Pillow - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pillow in which the head region can be held with a shape fitting the shape of the neck and head for cooling the head, therefore, any strain is not imposed to the body and cooling function is maintained and comfortable to sleep on. <P>SOLUTION: Pillow 1 according to the present invention includes a main body 3 having a concave portion 7 in the central part, and a cold insulator 5 mounted in the concave portion 7. This concave portion 7 is open in the central part of the main body side wall 8 on the side where the human nape is to be situated. The cold insulator 5 has an encapsulation film, and a gel material which is internally included in the encapsulation film and which includes a crosslinked polymer that is not in a swelled state with a medium. It is preferred that the gel material includes an unfoamed polyurethane resin, and has an Asker F hardness of 10 or greater and 50 or less. Also, depth of the opening of the concave portion 7 that is open at the main body side wall 8 is preferably equal to or greater than one third of the height of this main body side wall 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pillow. In particular, the present invention relates to a pillow used for cooling a person's neck and head.

  Conventionally, a water pillow has been used for cooling the head. Water pillows are cumbersome to replace ice and water. Replacement requires a place and container for handling water. Various devices have been devised to eliminate this annoyance. For example, JP 2002-330986 A describes an invention of a capsule pillow that does not require water. This pillow is filled with cooled capsules instead of ice.

  Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-297 discloses a pillow invention in which a cold insulator is accommodated in a pocket provided in a pillow cover. A commercially available product can be used as the cold insulator.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-198151 discloses an invention of an immediate cooling type cooling package made of two sheet materials. One sheet material of the package contains powder of at least one water-absorbing substance that gels by absorbing salt water, and water is added to the other sheet material for gelation. At least one absorbent resin and an antifungal / preservative are contained. By making these two sheet | seat materials communicate, a coolant and water contact and an endothermic dissolution reaction arises, and a quick cooling effect is exhibited.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-163448 discloses an invention of a pillow in which a bag body filled with a gel-like material is inserted into a concave hole provided in a lower portion of the center portion of a pillow core material (main body). . Examples of the gel-like material include those in which a highly water-absorbent resin and water are mixed, and those in which water is added to open-cell polyurethane foam.
JP 2002-330986 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-297 JP 2001-198151 A JP-A-7-163448 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-265348 JP 7-298971 A

  The cold insulator used in the pillow disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-297 has a simple sheet shape and is thin. Therefore, the contact area with the outside air is large, and the cold insulation capacity is inferior. And in the bag body used for the pillow of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 7-163448, since the volume of a recessed hole is limited, the cold insulation capacity is insufficient, and the position of the bag body is limited to the position of the head. Therefore, there is a problem that only a part of the head is kept cold.

  As for the shape of the pillow, it is said that the shape that can hold the shape of the cervical vertebra similar to the standing posture does not require a burden on the body. For this purpose, it is necessary to ensure the stability and comfort when the head is placed on the pillow while keeping the shape of the pillow constant. In order to maintain the shape of the pillow, it is necessary to provide resilience. Both the pillow and the package are deformed while the head is moving, as in the case of the conventional water pillow, and do not have a shape maintaining function. On the other hand, if the shape retention ability is too great, the shape following ability is poor, so that the stability and sleeping comfort of the head is deteriorated. That is, flexibility is required to improve stability and comfort.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has appropriate hardness and resilience, so that the head is held and cooled in a shape that matches the shape of the neck and head. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pillow that can be applied to the body, is not burdened on the body, has a cooling function and is comfortable to sleep.

  The pillow according to the present invention includes a cooling body having an encapsulating film, and a gel-like material containing a cross-linked polymer that is encapsulated in the encapsulating film and is not swollen by a medium, A recess having an opening at the center of the side wall, and a main body configured to incorporate the cold insulator into the recess.

  Preferably, the gel material has a melting point of 10 ° C. or more and 20 ° C. or less and is in a powder form with a particle size of 1 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and a latent heat storage material made of an organic compound is contained in a capsule of a synthetic resin film. In a state of 10 mass% to 40 mass%.

  Preferably, after the temperature of the cold insulator is set to 5 ° C., the surface temperature at the position where the cervix comes into contact when an adult male whose body temperature is around 36 ° C. sleeps in an atmosphere of 26 ° C. is 5 ° C. or more and 25 Hold at or below 1 ° C. for at least 1 hour.

  Preferably, the temperature of the cold insulator is set to 20 ° C., and the spring constant when compressed at a test speed of 30 mm / min with a compressor having a diameter of 10 mm is 0.1 N / mm to 0.7 N / mm, and hysteresis Loss is 5% or more and 50% or less. In addition, when thickness is less than 30 mm, it measures by overlapping.

Here, the spring constant means a value of stress / displacement when a compressor having a diameter of 10 mm is pushed in under the condition of a test speed of 30 mm / min. The hysteresis loss indicates the area ratio of the hysteresis loop in the stress-strain curve. The hysteresis loss calculation method is as follows. First, the change in the deflection amount S of the gel material is measured both when the compressive stress Sc is applied to the gel material and when the stress Sc is unloaded. Next, the area S ₁ -S ₂ of the hysteresis loop is calculated from the integral value of the rising curve obtained when the compressive stress Sc is increased and the integral value of the descending curve obtained when the compressive stress Sc is decreased. To do. Furthermore, the ratio (%) of the area (S ₁ -S ₂ ) of the hysteresis loop with respect to the integral value S ₁ of the rising curve is obtained by the following mathematical formula (1).
(S ₁ -S ₂ ) / S ₁ × 100 (1)

  Preferably, the gel material includes a crosslinked unfoamed polyurethane resin and has an Asker F hardness of 10 or more and 50 or less.

  The cold insulator may be a sheet. Preferably, the sheet-like cold insulator has a thickness of 25 mm or less. The sheet-shaped cold insulator can be stored in a container in a wound state or a folded state.

  The cold insulator provided in the pillow of the present invention is stored in a refrigerator or the like, and is cooled in advance, so that it is 5 ° C. or higher and 25 ° C. or lower even when left at room temperature thereafter. The temperature at which it feels moderately cold is maintained for a long time. This temperature is suitable for cooling the head and neck to obtain a comfortable sleep. Moreover, if it is within this temperature range, there is no risk of frostbite, so it can be used with peace of mind to cool the heads of infants and the elderly.

  The cold insulator includes a gel-like material, and the gel-like material itself has shape retention and elasticity, so when used for a pillow, the head has a shape that matches the shape of the neck and head. It can be held and cooled, so there is no burden on the body.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-265348 describes an invention of a pillow with a cold insulation material for keeping the head at a temperature approximately 5 to 10 ° C. lower than the body temperature, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-298971. Describes an invention of a pillow with a cold insulation material that maintains a temperature of approximately 32 ° C. even when heated. The reason why the cold insulation temperature is set in the above temperature range for these pillows is considered to be based on the idea that a sleep effect can be obtained as long as a certain degree of coldness is felt on a hot summer night. . However, as will be apparent from the examples described later, under conditions such as cooling at a temperature approximately 5 to 10 ° C. lower than the body temperature, it is insufficient to obtain a good night's sleep in a tropical night where the outside air temperature does not fall below 25 ° C. Moreover, in the pillows described in JP-A-7-265348 and JP-A-7-298971, since the bag body containing the cold insulation material is subdivided, the mass of the cold insulation material in the part that touches the head There is a problem that the cooling effect is not sustained because the heat conduction efficiency is also reduced.

  Even when the cold insulator contained in the pillow of the present invention is cooled to 5 ° C., the compressive stress and the hysteresis loss are maintained within the above ranges, and show an appropriate hardness and resilience. Therefore, the pillow of the present invention is suitable as a bedding for obtaining a good night's sleep in summer, particularly in a hot environment such as a tropical night.

  When the latent heat storage material is accommodated in the capsule, the capsule itself can be maintained as a solid or powder even when a phase change occurs in the latent heat storage material according to the temperature change, and the gel containing the latent heat storage material It is prevented that an influence is exerted on the state of the whole material.

  According to the pillow comprising a main body having a recess in the center and a cold insulator incorporated in the recess, the cold insulator cools the head in a shape that matches the shape of the neck and head, There is no burden on the body. And the cooling effect by the incorporated cold insulator is sustained. In addition, there are a plurality of types of cold insulators to be incorporated, which can be replaced. By selecting the cold insulator, it can be adjusted according to the physique, other people used and the situation.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with appropriate reference to the drawings.

  A pillow 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pillow 1. 2A is a plan view of the pillow 1, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a right side view. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

  The pillow 1 includes a main body 3 and a cold insulator 5. The main body 3 includes a recess 7 for incorporating the cold insulator 5. The recess 7 is cut out in the depth direction of the main body at the center of the main body side wall 8 on the side where the person's neck is located. The side on which the person's neck is located is defined on one long side of the main body 3. The cold insulator 5 has a contour that substantially conforms to the shape of the recess 7 so as to fill the recess 7. The cold insulator 5 is incorporated in the recess 7. In this way, the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5 are combined to use the pillow 1. The planar shape of the outline in which the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5 are combined is a rectangle. The size of the pillow 1 is not particularly limited, but usually the lateral width L is 400 mm to 1000 mm, the depth W is 300 mm to 500 mm, and the height H of the side wall 8 is 10 mm to 190 mm.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the depth P of the opening of the recess 7 opening in the main body side wall 8 is about 83% of the height H of the main body side wall 8. When the depth P of the opening is too shallow, the volume of the cold insulator 5 becomes small and a sufficient cold insulation effect cannot be obtained. Preferably, the depth P of the opening is 1/3 or more of the height H of the main body side wall 8. The depth P of the opening may be equal to the height H of the side wall 8. As will be described later, the shape of the recess 7 is defined in accordance with the shape of the cold insulator 5 determined in consideration of the human body shape. It is considered that the shape (mainly height and curved surface shape) of the cold insulator 5 incorporated in the recess 7 can be changed. That is, the recess 7 is formed so that the shape of the pillow 1 as a whole becomes smooth by being combined with the cold insulator 5.

  It is preferable that the main body 3 has a hardness capable of supporting a person's head, and also has flexibility and resilience. Therefore, it is preferable that rubber or a synthetic resin material is used for the main body 3. As the rubber, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber or the like is used. As the synthetic resin material, one or more thermoplastic elastomers such as polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, silicone, and polybutadiene can be used. The material of the main body 3 is more preferably a polyurethane foam in terms of flexibility and various hardness adjustments. Of these, a low-resilience polyurethane foam is more preferred. The main body 3 is obtained by molding these materials by a molding method such as injection molding or extrusion molding.

  The cold insulator 5 is set such that its hardness and resilience are suitable as a pillow on which the head and neck are placed. The cold insulator 5 is formed such that the cold insulator 5 is kept in a predetermined shape range by the recess 7 particularly when the cold insulator 5 has a large flexibility (also expressed as softness) and a small shape holding ability. For example, the material of the main body 3 is selected to have a low flexibility and a high shape retention. Alternatively, a surface material such as a peripheral side wall constituting the concave portion 7 may be partially thickened so that the shape of the concave portion 7 is not easily changed. Further, the peripheral portion of the recess 7 may be made of a material having a higher elastic modulus than the material of the main body 3.

  As will be described later, the cold insulator 5 is replaced and incorporated in the recess 7. Therefore, the recess 7 has a shape along the shape of the cold insulator 5. However, there may be some gaps to absorb the dimensional error of the multiple types of cold insulators 5 made separately. Even when there is no gap, since the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5 have flexibility, the cold insulator 5 can be incorporated within the range of flexibility. However, if the gap is too large, it may not be possible to maintain a predetermined shape, for example, the sinking of the head becomes too deep.

  The recess 7 is provided on the basis of the position and size of the neck and the back of the head when used. When this pillow 1 is used, a curved surface that matches the shape of the back of the head is formed from the neck when the person stands. The curved surface shape may be formed by a flexible cold insulator 5 supported by a main body 3 having shape retention.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the height of the portion of the main body 3 where the human back is located is low. The portion where the rear neck near the shoulder of the pillow 1 is located has a high height. When the cold insulator 5 is large, this shape is mainly held by the cold insulator 5. When the cold insulator 5 is small, the predetermined shape is mainly maintained by the shape of the main body 3.

  The main body 3 is provided with flexibility that can follow deformation in a state in which the cold insulator 5 is incorporated. A person changes the direction of his head or shifts his position. In order to improve deformation followability, a material having a low rebound resilience is preferable. The main body 3 including the concave portion 7 is not comfortable to use unless there is a certain degree of deformation followability. Therefore, the pillow 1 is provided with moderate flexibility and resilience, and the weight of the head can be dispersed and supported over the entire head surface.

  The main body 3 preferably includes a plurality of depressions D on the surface. The depression D prevents the head and the body 3 from being in close contact with each other when the person's head and the like is applied to the pillow 1. That is, a gap is formed between the head and the body 3. Since this gap is air permeable, there is no stickiness or stuffiness. The recess D is formed by providing a groove, a hole, a protrusion, or the like on the surface. The pillow 1 includes a plurality of grooves in a direction that coincides with the longitudinal direction of the surface. The depth, interval, etc. of the grooves can be set so as to be comfortable to use according to the properties of the main body 3 and the cold insulator 5.

  The cold insulator 5 includes a cold insulator 9 and an encapsulating film 11 in which the cold insulator 9 is enclosed. The surface shape of the cold insulator 5 is formed to match the curved surface from the neck to the back of the head in a standing posture. The cold insulator 5 is made separately from the main body 3 and is independent. A plurality of types of cold insulators 5 can be prepared for one main body 3. Only the cold insulator 5 can be removed from the main body and cooled or frozen. As long as it is incorporated in the concave portion 7 of the main body, it can be replaced with a cold insulator 5 having different shapes such as height (thickness) and curved surface shape. Moreover, you may prepare several types from which the hardness of the cold insulating material 9 and different cold insulation performance etc. differ. These can be selected according to the situation.

  As for the size of the cold insulator 5, the width N is usually 100 mm or more and 500 mm or less, the depth M is 150 mm or more and 500 mm or less, and the height is 10 mm or more and 190 mm or less. In combination with the main body 3, the height of the cold insulator 5 is adjusted so that the neck can be supported. The height of the cold insulator 5 varies depending on the depth of the rear neck of the person to be used, the distance between the shoulder and the temporal region when lying down, and the preference.

  As described above, the cold insulator 5 forms part of the pillow 1 by being inserted into the central portion of the main body side wall 8 with a certain thickness. Three side surfaces where the cold insulator 5 is in contact with the main body 3 are protected from the outside by the main body 3 made of foam or the like. Since the foam of the main body 3 adjacent to this side surface has a heat retaining function, there is little heat conduction from the side surface of the cold body 5. Therefore, the surface area of the pillow 1 through which heat from the outside is transmitted to the cold insulator 5 is relatively small. The cold insulator 5 is difficult to transmit extra heat from the outside due to this combination structure. Therefore, the cooling effect of the pillow 1 is maintained.

  The cold insulator 5 also has a certain shape retaining ability while supporting the weight of the head and neck. With this function, when a person puts his head on the pillow 1, the burden on the neck can be reduced. If this shape retention is too large, it tends to be too hard. If the cold insulator 5 is too hard, deformation followability is insufficient when the head or neck is displaced. It is uncomfortable to use unless there is a certain amount of deformation. The cold insulator 5 has flexibility that can follow the deformation. It has moderate flexibility and resilience, and the weight of the head can be dispersed and supported over the entire head surface.

  The cold insulator 5 is normally used in a state where the surface temperature is in the range of 5 ° C. or higher and 30 ° C. or lower. The surface temperature of the cold insulator 5 is preferably 10 ° C. or higher and 25 ° C. or lower. More preferably, it is 12 degreeC or more and 20 degrees C or less. As the cold insulating material 9, a gel material made of a polymer not containing a medium is used. The gel material made of a crosslinked polymer not containing this medium is preferable as the cold insulating material 9 in that the gel material itself has shape retention and elasticity. Here, not containing a medium means not taking a form swollen by the medium, and is distinguished from the case where a small amount of oil or the like is included as an additive. Specifically, the content of the medium is 50% by mass or less with respect to the crosslinked polymer.

  This gel material is obtained by cross-linking unfoamed urethane. The polyurethane resin is obtained by blending a polyol, a polyisocyanate, and a crosslinking agent (curing agent) and crosslinking. Typical curing methods include a prepolymer method in which a polyol and a polyisocyanate are reacted in advance, and a one-shot method in which the above components are blended simultaneously. The gel material preferably has an Asker F hardness of 10 or more and 50 or less. The unfoamed polyurethane may be obtained from any method as long as the Asker F hardness is adjusted within this range. In this invention, Asker F hardness is measured by the method based on the durometer hardness test prescribed | regulated to JIS-K6253. For specific measurement, an Asker F hardness meter from Kobunshi Keiki Co., Ltd. may be used. When the measured object is highly sticky, the hardness of the measured object is measured by interposing a film that does not prevent free distortion of the measured object between the hardness meter and the measured object.

  When Asker F hardness is less than 10, it is too soft and lacks stability. From this viewpoint, the Asker F hardness is more preferably 20 or more. Furthermore, the Asker F hardness is preferably 25 or more. When Asker F hardness exceeds 50, the tactile sensation is hard and the sleeping comfort is poor. From this viewpoint, the Asker F hardness is more preferably 40 or less. More preferably, the Asker F hardness is 35 or less.

  Examples of the isocyanate compound used as the material for the urethane prepolymer include diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), polymeric MDI, modified MDI such as liquid MDI, hydrogenated tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), hydrogenated MDI, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI), xylylene. Examples include range isocyanate (XDI), naphthalene diisocyanate (NDI), triphenylmethane triisocyanate, and polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanate.

  As the polyol, those having an average functional group number of 2 to 4 and an average molecular weight of 50 to 6000 are used. For example, low molecular weight divalent or trivalent alcohols, polyether polyols, condensed polyester polyols, polymerized polyester polyols, polycaprolactone polyols, and the like can be used. Suitable polyols include low molecular weight alcohols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,3 butanediol, polyoxypropylene glycol (PPG), polyoxypropylene triol, polyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene-triol, polyoxytetra Examples include methylene glycol and polyalkylene ether polyols.

  The polyurethane prepolymer has, for example, an isocyanate compound and a polyol in an equivalent ratio (NCO / OH) of 1.3 to 5 of an isocyanate group (NCO) of the isocyanate compound and a hydroxyl group (OH) contained in the polyol. And is reacted at about 50 ° C. to 120 ° C. for about 3 to 10 hours. These viscosities are preferably in the form of a low-viscosity liquid at ordinary temperature from the viewpoint of workability and the like. The isocyanate group content in the polyurethane prepolymer is usually 1% by mass to 15% by mass. Preferably, the isocyanate group content is 2.5 mass% to 10 mass%. The liquid viscosity of the polyurethane prepolymer is preferably 2000 to 20000 CPS (25 ° C.) from the viewpoint of workability.

  As the curing agent, a compound having active hydrogen is used. For example, a curing agent containing a polyol is suitably used for curing the urethane prepolymer. Among them, poly (oxyethylene) polyol, poly (oxyethylene propylene) polyol, and polytetramethylene ether glycol are preferable, and those having a molecular weight of 300 to 6000 and functional groups of 2 to 4 are preferable.

  The adjustment of the hardness of the gel material is performed by changing the type and blending amount of the curing agent to change the degree of crosslinking, or using an additive such as a catalyst. As the catalyst, an amine catalyst such as tolylenediamine, lead octylate, dibutyltin diurarate and the like are used alone or in combination. Formulations containing polyols, polyisocyanates and curing agents are crosslinked by heating at 50 to 150 ° C. for about 1 to 120 minutes.

  It is more preferable to mix a latent heat storage material with the unfoamed polyurethane composition. As the latent heat storage material, a material that melts gradually when the temperature of the cold insulation material 9 rises and absorbs this heat when melting is used. The latent heat storage material for the cold insulating material 9 is preferably a material having a melting point of 5 ° C. or higher and 30 ° C. or lower, particularly preferably 10 ° C. or higher and 20 ° C. or lower. Paraffins such as n-tetradecane (melting point 5.9 ° C.), n-pentadecane (melting point 9.9 ° C.), n-hexadecane (melting point 18.2 ° C.); tridecyl caproate (melting point 7 ° C.), pentadecyl caproate (melting point) 16 ° C.), methyl laurate (melting point 5 ° C.), methyl tridecanoate (melting point 20 ° C.), methyl myristate (melting point 19 ° C.), ethyl myristate (melting point 12 ° C.), methyl pentadecanoate (melting point 19 ° C.), pentadecane Aliphatic saturated monocarboxylic acid esters such as ethyl acetate (melting point 14 ° C.), butyl palmitate (melting point 18 ° C.), amyl palmitate (melting point 19 ° C.); dimethyl succinate (melting point 19 ° C.), dimethyl adipate (melting point 9 ° C), dimethyl 1,9-nonanedicarboxylate (melting point 20 ° C), diethyl 1,9-nonanedicarboxylate (melting point 16 ° C), 1, Aliphatic saturated dicarboxylic acid esters such as diethyl 0-decanedicarboxylate (melting point 16 ° C.) and diethyl 1,11-undecanedicarboxylate (melting point 20 ° C.); 1-decanol (melting point 7 ° C.), 1-undecanol (melting point 16 ° C.) ) And alcohol such as 2,3-dibromo-1-pentanol (melting point: 13 ° C.). Especially, n-paraffins, such as n-pentadecane, are more preferable at the point that phase change stability is favorable and heat storage amount is large.

  About the latent heat storage material which concerns on this invention, from the viewpoint of preventing the cold insulator 5 from becoming too hard or conversely too soft so that the cold insulation effect of the cold insulator 5 becomes appropriate. It is necessary to set the combination with other components of the gel material and the content of the latent heat storage material in the gel material.

  The latent heat storage material such as n-paraffin is preferably contained in a capsule formed of a resin film such as an acrylic resin or a melamine resin. This latent heat storage material containing capsule is mix | blended with the composition of a urethane prepolymer. Specific examples of the latent heat storage material-containing capsule include “heat storage material microcapsule solid granulated product” (manufactured by Mitsubishi Paper Industries, Ltd.). This “heat storage material microcapsule solid granulated product” is a product in which a mixture containing n-paraffin as a main component is contained in a microcapsule. Since the melting point of n-paraffin is about 15 ° C., the low temperature can be maintained comfortably for a long time.

  The capsule containing a latent heat storage material such as n-paraffin is preferably 10% by mass to 40% by mass with respect to the total amount of the gel material. When the content of the capsule is less than 10% by mass, it may not be possible to maintain an appropriate temperature for a long time. On the contrary, if it exceeds 40% by mass, the content of the gel material will be too small, so that the shape may not be retained, or it may become too hard when the temperature of the gel material is low. In particular, the content of the capsule is preferably 20% by mass at the lower limit and 30% by mass at the upper limit.

  The latent heat storage material such as n-paraffin is preferably 40% by mass or more and 90% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of capsules including the latent heat storage material. In particular, the content of the latent heat storage material is preferably 50% by mass, more preferably 60% by mass, and 80% by mass, and further 60% by mass, the upper limit.

  The heat of fusion of the capsule containing the latent heat storage material is preferably 100 J / g or more, more preferably 150 J / g or more, and particularly preferably 200 J / g or more.

  The gel-like material is obtained, for example, by filling the forming film 11 with a predetermined shape with a forming material and crosslinking. The gel material may be obtained by pouring the forming material into a metal mold or extrusion molding with an extruder, followed by crosslinking.

  The gel-like material encapsulating film 11 is not particularly limited as long as the gel-like material does not bleed out or change due to the gel-like material without being damaged by a certain amount of external force. It is not a thing. In particular, when the gel-like material is a two-component curable polyurethane, silicone rubber, or the like, when the raw material such as polyurethane is injected into a bag made of an encapsulating film and crosslinked and cured, the cured polyurethane or silicone It is necessary to select a material that does not pass through not only rubber and the like but also raw materials forming these. Examples of the encapsulating film 11 include films made of synthetic resins such as polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), polybutylene-terephthalate (PBT), polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, and polyvinylidene chloride. . Moreover, these composite films and laminated films may be used, and films having aluminum or the like deposited on the surface may be used. Among the encapsulating films exemplified above, it is preferable to use polyurethane which is easy to obtain mechanical properties suitable for the cold insulator of the present invention and is excellent in flexibility, stretchability and durability. In particular, when thermosetting polyurethane is used as the gel material, the use of polyurethane for the film improves the adhesion between the two, and prevents the gel material from peeling off from the film when the cold insulator is used. .

  The thickness of the encapsulating film 11 is preferably 0.01 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. If it is thinner than 0.01 mm, the encapsulating film 11 is easily broken and the durability may be inferior. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the encapsulating film is preferably 0.02 mm or more. More preferably, it is 0.04 mm or more. When it is thicker than 1 mm, the flexibility is poor, and when a person's head comes into contact, it feels hard and the sleeping comfort becomes worse. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the encapsulating film is preferably 0.5 mm or less. More preferably, it is 0.3 mm or less.

  It is preferable that the tensile strength is 45 to 110 MPa, the elongation is 100 to 800%, and the tear strength is 100 to 200 N / mm. The tensile strength and elongation of the encapsulating film 11 are measured by the method defined in JIS K7181, and the tear strength of the encapsulating film 11 is measured by the method defined by JIS K7128-3.

  If the thickness of the encapsulating film 11 is less than the above range, the film 11 is likely to be broken and the durability may be deteriorated. Conversely, when the above range is exceeded, the flexibility of the pillow may be reduced. The thickness of the film is particularly preferably 0.08 to 0.15 mm. In addition, if the tensile strength, elongation rate, and tear strength of the encapsulating film 11 do not reach the above ranges, they may be easily broken and the durability may be reduced. There is a possibility that it cannot be freely deformed along the surface and the feeling of use is lowered or the durability is lowered.

  The cold insulator 5 obtained as described above preferably has a spring constant of 0.1 N / mm or more and 0.7 N / mm or less when the temperature is set to 20 ° C. The hysteresis loss is preferably 20% or more and 50% or less. If the spring constant is smaller than 0.1 N / mm, it is too soft, and conversely if it is larger than 0.7 N / mm, it is too hard. The lower limit is preferably 0.2 N / mm, more preferably 0.3 N / mm, and the upper limit is preferably 0.6 N / mm, more preferably 0.5 N / mm. On the other hand, when the hysteresis loss is smaller than 20%, it is too hard, and conversely when it is larger than 50%, it is too soft. The upper limit of hysteresis loss is preferably 30%.

  The mass of the cold insulator 5 according to the present invention is preferably set in the range of 250 to 1500 g from the viewpoint of incorporating it into the pillow. If it is less than 250 g, the amount of stored heat decreases, and there is a risk that the appropriate temperature cannot be maintained. If it exceeds 1500 g, it is inconvenient to carry, and it may take time to cool, or it may be difficult to cool uniformly to the inside of the gel material.

  In the manufacture of the cold insulator 5 including the gel material, first, a molding die is prepared which is formed so as to follow the shape of a person's neck and head. The mold surface is covered with the encapsulating film 11. The encapsulating film 11 is brought into close contact with the mold surface by air suction or the like. The mold covered with the encapsulating film 11 is filled with an unfoamed polyurethane compound for a gel material that becomes the main body of the cold insulating material 9. On the unfoamed polyurethane blend, an unfoamed polyurethane blend set to have a higher degree of crosslinking than the blend is filled. These blends are heated and crosslinked at a predetermined temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower for a predetermined time of 1 to 120 minutes, and the unfoamed polyurethane compound having a high degree of crosslinking is integrated with the encapsulating film 11. Thus, the cold insulator 5 is obtained.

  The cold insulator 5 thus obtained is formed with a non-flexible base portion 13 having a thickness of 2 mm or more and 15 mm or less on the bottom surface thereof. If the thickness is less than 2 mm, the sealing film 11 and the gel material may be insufficiently joined. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the non-flexible base portion 13 is more preferably 3 mm or more, and further preferably 5 mm or more. If the thickness exceeds 15 mm, the flexibility of the gel material may be reduced. From this viewpoint, the thickness of the non-flexible base portion 13 is preferably 12 mm or less, and more preferably 10 mm or less. Since the film 11 for encapsulating the cold insulator and the cold insulator 9 are highly integrated, the film 11 for encapsulating is not easily broken, and the shape stability of the cold insulator 5 is also high.

  It is preferable to provide a plurality of depressions D on the surface of the cold insulator 5. When the cold insulator 5 is made of a gel material, the depression D is formed by a molding die. Due to the recess D, the cold insulator 5 is provided with air permeability. In this cold insulator 5, stuffiness due to human perspiration is prevented when the person's head or neck is in direct contact with the cold insulator. The cold insulator 5 can be provided with an exterior cover similar to the main body 3 as the exterior of the encapsulating film 11. The material of the exterior cover may be the same as a known cover. As the exterior cover, natural fibers such as silk, cotton, and wool or synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, polyester, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinylidene chloride are used. Nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, knitted fabrics and the like made of these fibers are used. From the viewpoint of improving the touch, those laminates and those having a large porosity are preferred. Natural leather or synthetic leather may be used for this exterior cover. However, the thickness of the exterior cover is taken into consideration so that the function of the uneven shape on the surface is not lost.

  It is said that when the human head and neck are cooled, the body temperature should drop by 1 ° C. in 2 hours during sleep. When the pillow 1 is used, the cold insulator 5 that has been cooled in a refrigerator or the like in advance is inserted into the main body 3. The refrigeration body 5 cools the occipital region and the neck muscles when the pillow 1 is applied. The cold insulator 5 has a good cold insulation property because it is difficult for excess heat to be transmitted as described above. Therefore, the cold insulator 5 exhibits a cooling action for a long time.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a pillow 17 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the pillow 17 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a right side view showing the pillow of FIG. The pillow 17 includes a main body 19 and a cold insulator 21. The main body 19 includes a recess 25 that opens at the center of the main body side wall 23 on the side where the person's neck is located. In each drawing, the main body 27 is shown on the upper side, and the cold insulator 29 fitted in the main body is shown on the lower side. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the recess 25 is open in the depth direction at the center of the main body side wall 23. The recess 25 is formed by cutting out the main body 19. The thickness of the main body 19 at the bottom of the recess 25 is relatively thin. This portion prevents the main body 27 located on the left and right of the recess 25 from trying to expand left and right.

  The cold insulator 21 includes a cold insulator 27 made of a gel-like material that is a crosslinked polymer that does not contain the medium described above, and an encapsulating film 29 that encloses the cold insulator 27. A non-flexible base portion 31 is provided on the bottom surface of the cold insulator 21. The cold insulation material 27 is formed in a shape that matches the shape of the back of the head from a person's neck. The thin and flexible sealing film 29 does not have a sufficient outer shape restraining function. Since the cold insulating material 27 itself has a shape holding function, the shape of the cold insulating material 27 is held without the support of the encapsulating film 29. This pillow 17 has a shape in which the cold insulation material 27 of the cold insulation body 21 is rich in flexibility and matches the shape of a human neck and the back of the head. By the cold insulator 21 provided with the cold insulator 27, the neck and the head are held and cooled so that the body is not burdened. Although not shown, a number of depressions are provided on the upper surface side of the main body 19 and the cold insulator 21. According to this pillow, the cooling lasts and the sleeping comfort is good.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a pillow 40 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The pillow 40 includes a main body 42 and a cold insulator 44. The main body 42 includes a concave portion 46 for incorporating the cold insulator 44 at the center thereof. The cold insulator 44 includes a cold insulator and an encapsulating film in the same manner as the cold insulator 5 shown in FIG. The material of the cold insulating material is the same material as the cold insulating material 9 shown in FIG. The cold insulator 44 has a sheet shape. The sheet-shaped cold insulator 44 is shorter than the block-shaped cold insulator 5 in which the cold-retaining effect is maintained. However, the most important cold-preserving effect before and after falling asleep is exhibited.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the cold insulator 44 of the pillow 40 in FIG. 8 is refrigerated. FIG. 9 also shows a container 52 including a body portion 48 and a lid 50. In order to cool the cold insulator 44, the cold insulator 44 is first wound. Since the cold insulator 44 is in the form of a sheet, it can be easily wound. Next, the cold insulator 44 is placed in the body 48. Then, the lid 50 is placed on the body portion 48. Next, the container 52 is stored in the refrigerator. By holding the container 52 in the refrigerator for a certain time, the temperature of the cold insulator 44 decreases. The container 52 is taken out from the refrigerator, and the cold insulator 44 is taken out from the container 52. The cold insulator 44 is used in combination with the main body 42.

  By using the pillow 40, hair, sweat, hair styling, fragrance, and the like adhere to the cold insulator 44. The refrigerator usually stores food. By storing the cold insulator 44 in the container 52, contact between the cold insulator 44 and the food product is prevented. The container 52 also prevents odor transfer from the cold insulator 44 to the food product. This container 52 contributes to hygiene. The size of the container 52 is determined so that the container 52 can be easily stored in the refrigerator. For example, a container 52 having the same size as a bottle for a normal soft drink is prepared. The combination of the cold insulator 44 and the container 52 contributes to space saving of the refrigerator.

  From the viewpoint of preventing odor migration, the container 52 is preferably made of a material that does not have air permeability (for example, synthetic resin). From the viewpoint that the cold insulator 44 is cooled in a short time, it is preferable that the container 52 is made of a breathable material (for example, paper). The container 52 having air permeability does not sufficiently prevent the transfer of odor, but prevents the cold insulator 44 from contacting the food product. A vent may be formed in the container 52.

  From the viewpoint that it can be easily wound, the thickness of the cold insulator 44 is preferably 25 mm or less, more preferably 20 mm or less, and particularly preferably 15 mm or less. From the viewpoint of maintaining the cold insulation effect, the thickness is preferably 5 mm or more. The cold insulating material may be folded and stored in the container. In this case, a box-shaped container is used.

  Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be clarified by examples. However, the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner based on the description of the examples.

[Example 1]
Rubber composition based on natural rubber (natural rubber 100 parts by weight, filler 115 parts by weight, softener 4 parts by weight, zinc white 5.5 parts by weight, stearic acid 1.1 parts by weight, foaming agent 5 parts by weight 2 parts by mass of sulfur, 0.9 part by mass of vulcanization accelerator, and 0.6 parts by mass of anti-aging agent) were put into a mold and molded by vulcanization and foaming at 150 ° C. for 10 minutes, and provided with a recess. The body was manufactured. On the other hand, a polyurethane film (thickness 0.1 mm, tensile strength 20 N, tear strength 8 N, elongation at break 220%) is laid on a mold having a shape corresponding to the concave shape of the main body, and a latent heat storage material (powder) The polyurethane prepolymer mixed with 10% by mass of microcapsules containing styrene was poured into a mold heated to 90 ° C. for about 30 mm. On top of that, 5 mm of a curable polyurethane composition was filled and crosslinked at 90 ° C. for 15 minutes, and then the mold was cooled to take out the gel material to obtain a cold insulator. The mass is 1300 g. The pillow of Example 1 was obtained by combining this cold insulator with the main body and covering the outer cover (for the main body; 100% cotton). The latent heat storage material was n-paraffin, and its melting point was 16 ° C. The heat of fusion of the microcapsules containing the latent heat storage material was 230 J / g.

[Comparative Example 1]
Commercially available flat pillow (made of polyurethane foam, 550 mm wide, 380 mm deep, high) with a commercially available cold insulator (made by Dunlop Home Products, product name “Soft Snow Pillow”, 30 mm thick, 190 mm long, 340 mm wide) 10 mm, 100% cotton exterior cover) was used as Comparative Example 1. This cold insulator is composed of a mixture of 1.5% by mass of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), 30% by mass of propylene glycol (PG), 10% by mass of urea, 57% by mass of pure water, and 1.5% by mass of pigment and other components. Containing a hydrogel.

[Examples 2 to 13]
A cold insulator was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the melting point of n-paraffin as the heat storage material or the blending amount of the microcapsules containing the latent heat storage material was changed, and this cold storage body was combined with the main body. The pillows of Examples 2 to 13 were obtained. The cold insulator in Examples 5 and 6 is in the form of a sheet. This cold insulator is filled with a microcapsule containing the polyurethane prepolymer and the latent heat storage material in a bag-like sheet, and filled with a curable polyurethane composition. Obtained without crosslinking.

[Pillow evaluation test]
(1) Measurement of temperature change The cold insulators of the above examples and comparative examples were left in the refrigerator (internal temperature 5 ° C) for 8 hours or more, and the temperature inside the cold insulator was adjusted to 5 ° C. . Next, in a room set at 26 ° C., the change in the surface temperature of the position on the cold insulator where the neck of the adult man touches when the adult man whose body temperature is approximately 36 ° C. sleeps was measured.

(2) Evaluation of mechanical properties After adjusting the cold insulators of the above examples and comparative examples to 20 ° C., the spring constant (N / mm) and hysteresis loss (%) during compression of the cold insulator were measured. . For the measurement, an autograph “AGS-5KNG” manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation was used.

(3) Evaluation of characteristics as pillows Pillows for sleeping at night are provided to 30 subjects in the range of 20 to 40 years old (including 10 women and 20 men) with the above-mentioned Examples, Comparative Examples, and Control Cooling Body. And actually used it as an evaluation. A five-point evaluation was performed with 5 points when comfort was good and 1 point when bad, and the average score of all subjects was calculated. In the evaluation, each of the cold insulators (pillows) was left in the refrigerator (internal temperature 5 ° C.) for 8 hours or longer and adjusted so that the temperature inside the gel material was 5 ° C. The room temperature during sleep was adjusted to 26 ° C.

  The results of the evaluation test are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below together with the melting point of the latent heat storage material and the content of the microcapsules containing the latent heat storage material.

  As is clear from Tables 1 and 2, the cold insulators (pillows) of Examples 1 to 8 are particularly suitable for keeping the coldness for a long time and setting the hardness and resilience within an appropriate range. Therefore, sleeping comfort is also good. On the other hand, in Example 12 where the melting point of the latent heat storage material is 7 ° C., since the temperature to be cooled in advance is 7 ° C., the effect of storing latent heat is not exhibited, and an appropriate temperature is not maintained. There's a problem. Further, in Example 13 in which the melting point of the latent heat storage material is too high, the temperature of the cold insulator becomes higher than the temperature suitable for obtaining a sleep at an early stage. was there.

  On the other hand, although the pillow of the comparative example 1 was kept moderately cold, there was a problem that there was no restorability (hysteresis loss was too large) and the sleeping comfort was poor. Example 9 does not include a latent heat storage material, and in Example 10 the content of the latent heat storage material is too small, so at an early stage, the temperature of the cold insulator is higher than the temperature suitable for obtaining a sleep, The problem of awakening due to insufficient sleep support effect occurred. Moreover, in Example 11 where there is too much content of a latent heat storage material, there existed a problem that a compressive stress and hysteresis loss became large too much, and it became too hard as a pillow, and the sleep support effect and sleeping comfort fell.

  The above description is merely an example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the essence of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to various pillows.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pillow according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 (a) is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (b) is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (c) is a side view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a pillow according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a front view showing the pillow of FIG. FIG. 7 is a right side view showing the pillow of FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a pillow according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the cold insulator of the pillow in FIG. 8 is refrigerated.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 17, 40 ... Pillow 3, 19, 42 ... Main body 5, 21, 44 ... Cold insulator 7, 25, 46 ... Recessed 8, 23 ... Side wall 9, 27 ... Cold insulating material 11, 29 ... Film for encapsulation 13, 31 ... Non-flexible substrate 52 ... Container D ... Dimple

Claims (10)

A cold insulator having an encapsulating film and a gel-like material containing a cross-linked polymer that is encapsulated in the encapsulating film and not swollen by a medium;
A pillow having a recess opened at the center of the side wall, and a main body configured to incorporate the cold insulator into the recess. The gel material is
The pillow according to claim 1, comprising a latent heat storage material having a melting point of 10 ° C. or more and 20 ° C. or less in a state of being contained in a resin film capsule in an amount of 10% by mass to 40% by mass. The gel material is
The melting point is 10 ° C. or more and 20 ° C. or less, the particle size is 1 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and the latent heat storage material made of an organic compound is contained in the capsule of the synthetic resin film in the state of 10% by mass to 40% by mass. The pillow according to claim 1, which is contained in an amount of not more than%.   After setting the temperature of the cold insulator to 5 ° C., the surface temperature of the cold insulator at which the neck comes into contact when an adult male whose body temperature is around 36 ° C. sleeps in an atmosphere of 26 ° C. is 5 ° C. or higher. The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the pillow is kept at 25 ° C. or lower for at least 1 hour.   The spring constant is 0.1 N / mm or more and 0.7 N / mm or less when the temperature of the cold insulator is set to 20 ° C. and compressed at a test speed of 30 mm / min with a 10 mm diameter compressor, and the hysteresis loss is 5 The pillow according to claim 1, which is not less than 50% and not more than 50%.   The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the gel material includes an unfoamed polyurethane resin and has an Asker F hardness of 10 or more and 50 or less.   The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the cold insulator is in a sheet form.   The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the cold insulator is a sheet having a thickness of 25 mm or less.   The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the height of the concave portion is not less than 1/3 of the height of the side wall. A cold insulator having a sheet shape, an encapsulating film, and a gel-like material containing a cross-linked polymer that is encapsulated in the encapsulating film and not swollen by a medium;
A combination with a container in which the cold insulator is wound or folded.

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