JP2007117575A - Pillow - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pillow which has an excellent portability capable of being housed compactly when being carried in a travel or the like, is easily washed and is made of a low-repulsion polyurethane foam capable of keeping the function of the low-repulsion foam. <P>SOLUTION: The pillow is provided with: a pillow-shaped housing container 1; and a soft low-repulsion polyurethane foam sheet body 2 which can be wound and housed inside of the container 1. The soft low-repulsion polyurethane foam sheet body 2 is composed of material 2a and 2b having quick drying property when being washed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to pillows and, more particularly, to pillows having a soft, low resilience polyurethane foam material.

  Instead of buckwheat pillows, ceramic pillows, wooden pillows, box pillows, etc., a low-resilience polyurethane foam (foam, hereinafter referred to as “low-resilience foam”) has recently been used as a pillow that has a high level of sleep. Various rebound polyurethane foam pillows have been developed. This pillow made of low resilience foam has heat retention and also has a function of dispersing the weight of the head on which the pillow is placed.

  Recently, there has been proposed a pillow or the like that enables height adjustment to match a personal use state and obtains an appropriate cushioning property (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-89595 A

  However, when carrying the pillow of the above-mentioned prior art when traveling, the pillow itself is bulky, so it cannot be stored and carried in a compact manner and cannot be said to be excellent in portability. . Moreover, the pillow made of low resilience foam cannot be easily washed (when it is washed in a washing machine, it takes a long time to dry the moisture contained therein).

  Accordingly, in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to be able to be stored compactly, to be portable, easy to wash, An object of the present invention is to provide a pillow made of a soft low-resilience polyurethane foam capable of maintaining the function of the rebound foam.

  The above object can be achieved by the invention described in the claims. That is, the characteristic configuration of the pillow according to the present invention includes a pillow-shaped storage container and a soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet body that can be wound and stored inside the storage container. The soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet body is composed of a material having quick drying properties during washing.

  According to this configuration, by accommodating the soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet body in the pillow-shaped storage container, the whole can be compactly accommodated and can be easily stored and carried in a bag or the like even when traveling on a trip or the like. Therefore, because it is made of a material that has excellent portability and has quick drying properties, even if it is washed like normal clothing during washing, drying like clothing will proceed, so there will be no problem during use. Does not occur. In the present invention, the term “having quick drying at the time of washing” is not limited as long as it is possible to dry substantially the same as ordinary clothes, and does not need to be dried particularly quickly.

  As a result, a pillow made of soft, low-resilience polyurethane foam that can be stored compactly, is portable, is easy to wash, and maintains the function of low-resilience foam when carrying it when traveling, etc. Could be provided.

  It is preferable that the soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet is composed of a flexible polyurethane foam having an average cell diameter of 100 to 2000 μm and a surface material covering the flexible polyurethane foam.

  According to this structure, it becomes a washable pillow which can be washed and dried not only with a better feel during use but also under the same conditions as washing conditions such as ordinary clothes and sheets. The flexible polyurethane foam is difficult to be stably produced when the average cell diameter exceeds 2000 μm, and the obtained foam also has a low tensile strength and elongation at break, and conversely the average cell diameter is less than 100 μm. The average cell diameter is too small and the drying property is lowered. The average cell diameter of the flexible polyurethane foam is more preferably 200 to 1500 μm.

  The flexible polyurethane foam preferably has an air permeability of 2.5 cfm (67.5 L / min) or more and a thickness of 5 to 30 mm.

  According to this configuration, there is little change in tactile sensation due to temperature, and the air permeability is not hindered. Further, since the thickness of the low-resilience soft polyurethane foam is within such a range, a pillow having body pressure dispersibility can be obtained while ensuring air permeability.

  Moreover, this pillow can be washed and dried more reliably under the same conditions as those for washing clothes and sheets. The air permeability is 2.5 cfm [67.5 L / min. ], The drying may take time depending on the weather conditions. Further, when the thickness of the flexible polyurethane foam is less than 5 mm, the touch may be lowered, and when it exceeds 30 mm, the drying property may be lowered. The thickness of the flexible polyurethane foam is more preferably 7 to 20 mm. The air permeability is more preferably 3 cfm (81 L / min) or more and 5 cfm (135 L / min) or less.

  It is preferable that the surface material is composed of one or more of polyester, nylon, rayon, and cotton having elasticity that follows the deformation of the flexible polyurethane foam and water-absorbing and quick-drying properties.

  According to this structure, since it is hard to receive a damage at the time of use as a pillow and has water absorption quick-drying property, washing becomes easy.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pillow A according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pillow A can be stored by being wound around a pillow-shaped storage container (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “pillow-shaped container”) 1 and the pillow-shaped container 1. When the low-repulsion foam sheet 2 is wound as shown in FIG. 1 and stored in the pillow-like container 1, it can be used as it is as a pillow.

  The pillow-like container 1 has an integral shape in which a bottom body and a lid body made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are connected on one side, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. A notch is formed in a part of the connection side of the opening to allow opening. And the center part of the lid body is somewhat depressed, so that the human head can be easily placed during use. Further, a cloth cover 3 having a similar three-way opening and a cut at a part of the connection side is attached to the outer periphery of the pillow container 1 so as to cover the entire pillow container 1. Opening and closing means 4 such as a fastener is sewn at the three-way opening of the cloth cover 3 and part of the connection side, and can be opened and closed freely. In addition, as a material of the pillow-shaped container 1, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc. can be used besides polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

  The pillow-like container 1 can be manufactured by vacuum forming or other methods, has an appropriate flexibility, and has a hardness that is not too hard when the human head is placed. Even if the part is placed, it has a shape retaining property that does not easily lose its shape.

  The low-resilience foam sheet body 2 includes a flat low-resilience foam sheet 2a having a substantially rectangular shape with a thickness of about 5 to 30 mm when stretched, and a water-absorbing quick-drying fabric 2b (surface material) that is sewn so as to cover the surface. For example). In this way, when washing, the low resilience foam sheet is difficult to twist in the fabric, which is convenient. It should be noted that a hook-and-loop fastener may be sewn to the end portion of the low-resilience foam sheet body 2 and a portion that contacts the end portion during winding so that the wound state can be maintained by the hook-and-loop fastener.

The low resilience foam sheet 2a has open cells, is manufactured as a slab foam, and is cut into a sheet shape. The low resilience foam preferably has a density of 30 to 85 kg / m ³ . The rebound resilience of the low resilience foam is preferably 15% or less, and more preferably 10% or less. The rebound resilience of the low resilience foam is usually 1% or more.

  As the low resilience foam, a known low resilience flexible polyurethane foam can be used without limitation. For example, a polyol having an average number of functional groups of 2 to 5 and a hydroxyl value of 20 to 60 mgKOH / g, a polyol having an average number of functional groups of 1.5 to 4.5 and a hydroxyl value of 200 to 300 mgKOH / g, and an average number of functional groups of 2 to 6 Polyurethane foam (Patent Publication No. 9-124762) having a hydroxyl value of 80 to 150 mgKOH / g and an ethylene oxide unit content of 5 to 30% in combination at a specific ratio, -70 ° C to -20 ° C Polyurethane foam having at least one glass transition point in the range of 0 ° C. to 60 ° C. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-286666), polyurethane foam containing 2 to 20% by weight of aromatic carboxylic acid ester structure (special feature) No. 2002-47330) is known, and any of them can be used.

  In addition, the low resilience foam having open cells may be produced by using a polyol compound having an ethylene oxide content of 20 to 90% by weight, which is a copolymer polyether polyol compound of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. it can. With such a configuration, the pillow has excellent feel and comfort because it has low resilience and good moisture absorption and desorption.

  Commercially available products may be used as the low resilience foam sheet. For example, Soflan # LRB75W and Sophane # LRZH75W (trade names, both manufactured by Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.), which have high air permeability and low resilience, are also used. There is Soflan # LRC75 (trade name, manufactured by Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.) which is a moisture-releasing and low-resilience.

  As the water-absorbing quick-drying fabric 2b for covering the low-resilience foam sheet 2a, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton and the like are preferable, and may be composed of two or more kinds of fiber materials, both of which can be washed. Is formed. In particular, it is preferable to have elasticity that follows the deformation of the low resilience foam sheet 2a.

  The flexible polyurethane foam preferably has an average cell diameter of 100 to 2000 μm. If the average cell diameter of the flexible polyurethane foam exceeds 2000 μm, it is difficult to produce stably, and the obtained foam also has low tensile strength and elongation at break, and conversely if the average cell diameter is less than 100 μm, the average cell diameter Is too small to reduce drying properties. The average cell diameter of the flexible polyurethane foam is more preferably 200 to 1500 μm.

  The flexible polyurethane foam preferably has an air permeability of 2.5 cfm (67.5 L / min) or more and a thickness of 5 to 30 mm. The air permeability is 2.5 cfm [67.5 L / min. ], The drying may take time depending on the weather conditions. When the thickness of the flexible polyurethane foam is less than 5 mm, the touch may be lowered, and when it exceeds 30 mm, the drying property may be lowered. The thickness of the flexible polyurethane foam is more preferably 7 to 20 mm. The air permeability is more preferably 3 cfm (81 L / min) or more and 5 cfm (135 L / min) or less.

  In the above-mentioned polyol compound, if the ethylene oxide content is too high, the foam strength and compression set are reduced, and if it is too low, the moisture absorption / release performance is not sufficient. As for the ethylene oxide content rate of a polyol compound, it is more preferable that it is 30 to 85 weight%, and it is further more preferable that it is 50 to 80 weight%.

  As the polyisocyanate compound, various aromatic, alicyclic and aliphatic polyisocyanate compounds having two or more isocyanate groups, which are usually used in the production of flexible polyurethane foams, and further these polyisocyanate compounds are used. A modified polyisocyanate compound obtained by modification can be used. Two or more polyisocyanate compounds may be used in combination.

  Specific examples of the polyisocyanate compound include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) (purified diphenylmethane diisocyanate (p-MDI) and crude MDI (c-MDI)), xylylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, Hexamethylene diisocyanate is exemplified, and examples of the modified product include a prepolymer modified product, an isocyanurate modified product, a urea modified product, and a carbodiimide modified product of a polyisocyanate compound. Among these, toluene diisocyanate and diphenylmethane diisocyanate are preferable for reasons such as high reactivity and low cost. Toluene diisocyanate includes 2,4-substituted products and 2,6-substituted products, and the use of a mixture of these is preferable, and the mixture ratio of 2,4-substituted / 2,6-substituted products is 90/10 ( The use of a mixture of TDI-90) to 60/40 (TDI-60) is preferred. The NCO / OH equivalent ratio in the reaction between the polyol composition and the polyisocyanate compound is preferably 0.7 to 1.2.

  In the production of the low-resilience foam having open cells used for the pillow of the present embodiment, known additives such as a catalyst, a foaming agent, a foam stabilizer, a colorant, and an antioxidant are used. As the foaming agent, known foaming agents can be used. Examples thereof include water and methylene chloride, and it is particularly preferable to use water or a foaming agent using water and methylene chloride in combination.

  The air permeability and the average cell diameter can be controlled by a known method, and can be controlled, for example, by adjusting the type of foaming agent, the amount added, the type of foam stabilizer, and the amount added.

  The low resilience foam sheet body 2 can be used as a cushion by changing from a wound state to an open state.

  Specific examples will be described below.

<Evaluation method>
(Rebound resilience)
The rebound resilience of the flexible polyurethane foam was measured according to JIS K 6400.

(Air permeability)
The air permeability of the flexible polyurethane foam was measured according to ASTM D-1564 (DOW method). That is, the air permeability (cfm) of a flexible polyurethane foam sheet sample having a length of 50 mm, a width of 50 mm, and a thickness of 25 mm was measured using a measuring instrument manufactured by FLUID DATA.

(Washing drying evaluation)
Using a commercially available washing machine, washing and dehydration were performed under the same conditions as clothing and sheets, and at the same time, it was hung on a clothesline and dried.

The pillow manufactured with the following manufacturing method was evaluated using the above evaluation method. First, as a commercially available flexible polyurethane foam sheet constituting the flexible polyurethane foam layer, 10 mm thick Soflan # LRZH75W (manufactured by Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.) was used. This flexible polyurethane foam had a density of 75 kg / m ³ , a rebound resilience of 5%, an air permeability of 4.0 cfm, and an average cell diameter of 500 μm. Two sheets of 63 cm length and 43 cm width were cut out from this flexible polyurethane foam sheet. This flexible polyurethane foam was covered with a polyester fiber skin material to obtain a pillow. The obtained pillow had a center height of 10 cm. The feel of this pillow was good, and the washability was also good, and drying was completed at the same time under normal drying conditions such as clothing and sheets.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, when used as a pillow, an example in which all the openings of the pillow-shaped container 1 are closed with fasteners has been shown. However, the low resilience that is wound and stored in one side of the opening It is good also as a structure which provided the slit which can pull out the edge part of the foam sheet body 2. FIG.
(2) In the said embodiment, although the example which made the pillow-shaped container 1 and the low-resilience foam sheet body 2 a different body was shown, the inner peripheral surface of the pillow-shaped container 1 and the outer peripheral surface of the low-resilience foam sheet body 2 A hook-and-loop fastener or the like may be attached to each other, and both may be connected integrally at all times. And when necessity, such as washing | cleaning, arises, the low resilience foam sheet body 2 is taken out by releasing the connection by the hook-and-loop fastener from the pillow-like container 1.

The exploded perspective view of the pillow concerning one embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage container 2 Soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet body 2a Soft low-resilience polyurethane foam 2b Surface material

Claims (4)

A pillow-shaped storage container and a soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet body that can be stored by being wound inside the storage container. A pillow made up of materials that sometimes have quick drying properties. The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the soft low-resilience polyurethane foam sheet is composed of a flexible polyurethane foam having an average cell diameter of 100 to 2000 µm and a surface material covering the flexible polyurethane foam. The pillow according to claim 2, wherein the flexible polyurethane foam has an air permeability of 2.5 cfm (67.5 L / min) or more and a thickness of 5 to 30 mm. The said surface material has the elasticity which follows the deformation | transformation of a flexible polyurethane foam, and is comprised from the 1 type (s) or 2 or more types of polyester, nylon, rayon, and cotton which have a water absorption quick-drying property. Pillow.

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