JP2019103888A - Air mat device and method for controlling inner pressure of air cell - Google Patents

Abstract

To control an inner pressure of an air cell.SOLUTION: An air mat device 10 includes: a mat part 11 having the air cell 15; an air supply/discharge part 12 for supplying air to the air cell 15 and discharging the air from the air cell 15; and a control part 14 acquiring time required for the air cell 15 to become a second state from a first state, as a control reference value, to control the air supply/discharge part 12 in accordance with the control reference value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an air mat device and an internal pressure control method of an air cell.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, an air mat device having a configuration described in Patent Document 1 below, for example, is known. The air mattress device includes a mat unit having an air cell, and an air supply / exhaust unit that supplies air to the air cell and exhausts air from the air cell.
In this type of air mat device, generally, the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state in which the air supply and exhaust by the air supply and exhaust unit is stopped and the user applies weight to the mat unit is set according to the user's weight. Is preferred.

JP, 2014-209958, A

  By the way, with the expansion of utilization of an air mattress device in recent years, the control method of the internal pressure of various air cells in an air mattress device is called for.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to variously control the internal pressure of the air cell.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the present invention proposes the following means.
(1) The air mat device according to the present invention comprises: a mat portion having an air cell; an air supply / exhaust portion for supplying air to the air cell and exhausting air from the air cell; the air cell changes from a first state to a second state The control unit further includes: a control unit that acquires the time required until reaching the point as a control reference value and controls the air supply / exhaust unit according to the control reference value.
(2) The air mat device according to the present invention comprises: a mat portion having an air cell; an air supply / exhaust portion for supplying air to the air cell and exhausting air from the air cell; at least a part of the weight of the user relative to the air cell. A control unit that acquires a state change amount of the air cell as a control reference value while changing the state of the air cell in a state in which a load is applied by depositing the air cell, and controlling the air supply and exhaust unit according to the control reference value; It is characterized by having.
(3) The air mat device according to the present invention comprises: a mat portion having an air cell; an air supply / exhaust portion for supplying air to the air cell and exhausting air from the air cell; controlling a state change amount per unit time for the air cell A control unit which is acquired as a reference value and controls the air supply / exhaust part according to the control reference value;
And the like.

  In these inventions, the time required for the air cell to reach the second state from the first state and the amount of state change of the air cell, which are control reference values, change according to the load acting on the air cell. By obtaining the control reference value, the weight of the user on the air cell can be estimated. Therefore, when setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the use condition where the air supply and exhaust by the air supply and exhaust unit is stopped and the user applies weight to the mat unit, the air supply and exhaust unit is controlled according to the control reference value. Thus, the internal pressure of the air cell in use can be set according to the weight of the user.

  Here, the control unit obtains the control reference value while changing the state of the air cell in a state where the load is applied by depositing at least a part of the weight of the user on the air cell, and estimates the weight of the user In some cases, the user's weight can be estimated while the user remains on weight. Therefore, for example, in order to estimate the weight of the user, a user who is lying or seated on the mat portion once is separated from the mat portion and then is again lying or seated on the mat portion. In addition to reducing the burden on the user, for example, when the user requires care or nursing, the burden on the caregiver or nurse can also be reduced. Furthermore, in the case of estimating the weight of the user while maintaining the weight of the user, for example, a user who needs care or nursing and is obliged to lie down or sit for a long period of time Even if the internal pressure of the air cell can be appropriately adjusted according to the weight of the occasion.

  In addition, when the control unit acquires, as the control reference value, the time required for the air cell to reach the second state from the first state or the air cell state change amount per unit time, the air cell is in the state After initiating the change, the weight of the user can be estimated at an intermediate stage until the state change is completed. Therefore, for example, it is possible to reduce the time required to estimate the weight of the user.

(4) The air mattress device according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising: detection means for detecting a state of the air cell; the detection means being a state of the air cell, The position of the air cell associated with the internal pressure of the air cell, the range of the loaded air cell, at least one of the shape of the mat portion and the inclination angle, the height of the upper surface of the air cell, and the air cell The control unit may acquire the control reference value based on the detection result of the detection unit by detecting at least one of the size of the load and the amount of air supplied and discharged from the air cell.

  In this case, the control unit obtains the control reference value based on the detection result of the detection means, so that the weight of the user on the air cell can be reliably estimated.

(5) The air mattress device according to (1), further comprising: detection means for detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; the detection means includes the internal pressure of the air cell as the first state. Detects that the internal pressure is the first internal pressure, and detects that the internal pressure of the air cell is the second internal pressure as the second state; in a state where the user applies a weight to the mat portion The internal pressure of the air cell is reduced from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure while reducing or pressurizing the air cell by causing the air supply and discharge unit to perform the exhaust or the air supply. The pressure fluctuation time up to may be acquired as the control reference value based on the detection result of the detection means.
(6) The air mattress device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the air cell is provided in a plurality and divided into a plurality of groups; and the control unit acquires the control reference value. When the air supply / exhaust unit performs the air supply or the exhaust and exhausts air from the air cells, the other groups are exhausted while leaving at least one of the plurality of groups, and then , May be supplied to the exhausted group.
(7) The air mat device according to (2), further comprising: detection means for detecting an internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; a plurality of the air cells are provided and divided into a plurality of groups; The unit exhausts the other groups while leaving at least one of the plurality of groups when exhausting the air cells from the air cells, and then supplies the exhausted groups; In the state where the weight is applied, the control unit is configured to supply the internal pressure in the air cells of the working group performing the air supply and discharge until the internal pressure reaches a second internal pressure different from the first internal pressure and the first internal pressure. The internal pressure fluctuation in each of the air cells of the maintenance group which does not discharge may be acquired as the control reference value based on the detection result of the detection means.

In these cases, the control unit acquires the above-mentioned pressure fluctuation time and internal pressure fluctuation as a control reference value based on the detection result of the detection means. In order to obtain this kind of control reference value, it is possible to use an air supply / exhaust unit and an internal pressure measurement unit (detection means) used in a general air mattress as it is. Therefore, it is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated sensor to estimate the weight of the user, and the increase in cost can be suppressed.
In addition, the pressure fluctuation time and the internal pressure fluctuation mentioned above are combined with the air cell air supply and exhaust which is usually carried out in a general air mat apparatus, for example, the air cell which is carried out to intentionally change the posture of the user. It can also be measured. In this case, it is possible to minimize human operation and machine operation required to estimate the weight of the user.

Also, with this air mattress device, in order to determine the weight of the user, the weight of the user is not measured directly, but the internal pressure fluctuation of the air cell is measured. Therefore, if the user puts weight on the mat portion within a certain range where the internal pressure of the air cell can be varied to the same extent, the weight of the user can be accurately estimated regardless of the position. it can.
Furthermore, in this air mattress device, the internal pressure at the time of air supply and exhaust of the air cell is measured to estimate the weight of the user. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the load from being continuously applied to the internal pressure measurement unit that measures the internal pressure of the air cell for a long time, and it is possible to easily maintain the internal pressure measurement unit in a calibrated state.
From the above, the weight of the user can be accurately reflected in the internal pressure of the air cell.

In each air mattress device described above, when the control unit acquires the control reference value, the air supply / exhaust unit performs air supply / exhaust, and when discharging from the air cell, at least one of the plurality of groups remains. When the other groups are exhausted and thereafter supplied to the exhausted group, for example, the control reference value can be acquired in accordance with alternate expansion and contraction for the purpose of bedsore (bed shift) and the like. In this case, the influence on the sleeping comfort of the user can be suppressed, and the special operation or work by the user can be suppressed as much as possible, and the convenience can be improved.
Also, as described above, when the control unit exhausts the air cell while leaving at least a part of the group, it becomes possible to support the user by the air cell of the non-exhaust group, thereby suppressing the bottoming of the user. Can.

(8) In the air mat device according to (6) or (7), when the control unit supplies and discharges the air cells, an operation group that performs the air supply and discharge, and a maintenance group that does not perform the air supply and discharge. The combination of the above may be changed to obtain the control reference value multiple times, and the air supply / exhaust unit may be controlled according to the control reference value obtained multiple times.

  In this case, since the control unit controls the air supply / exhaust unit according to the control reference value obtained a plurality of times, for example, it is possible to reduce the error due to disturbance, etc., and the weight of the user is accurately estimated. Can set the internal pressure of the air cell.

(9) The internal pressure control method of an air cell according to the present invention sets the internal pressure of the air cell in a use state in which the weight of the user is supported by the air cell after stopping the air supply to the air cell to be supplied. A method of controlling the internal pressure of an air cell; obtaining a time required for the air cell to reach a second state from a first state as a control reference value; and in the use state according to the control reference value. Setting the internal pressure of the air cell.
(10) The internal pressure control method for an air cell according to the present invention sets the internal pressure of the air cell in a use state where the weight of the user is supported by the air cell after stopping the air supply and exhaust to the air cell to be supplied and discharged. A method of controlling the internal pressure of an air cell, comprising: controlling a change in state of the air cell while changing the state of the air cell in a state where a load is applied by depositing at least a part of the weight of the user on the air cell. The method may further comprise the steps of: acquiring as a reference value; and setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state according to the control reference value.
(11) The internal pressure control method of an air cell according to the present invention sets the internal pressure of the air cell in a use state in which the weight of the user is supported by the air cell after stopping the air supply and exhaust to the air cell to be supplied and discharged. A method of controlling internal pressure of an air cell; obtaining a state change amount per unit time of the air cell as a control reference value; and setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state according to the control reference value. And providing a process. (12) The internal pressure control method of an air cell according to any one of (9) to (11), wherein an internal pressure of the air cell and a range of the air cell to which a load is applied as a state of the air cell. A position of the air cell related to at least one of a shape and an inclination angle of a mat portion at least partially formed by the air cell, a height of an upper surface of the air cell, and a size of a load applied to the air cell; The method may further include the step of detecting at least one of the air supply and discharge amounts from the air cell; in the acquiring step, the control reference value may be acquired based on the detection result in the detecting step. .
(13) The method for controlling internal pressure of an air cell according to (9), further comprising the step of detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; in the detecting step, the air cell as the first state Detecting that the internal pressure of the air cell is a first internal pressure, and detecting that the internal pressure of the air cell is a second internal pressure as the second state; and in the acquiring step, The pressure fluctuation time until the internal pressure of the air cell reaches the first internal pressure and the second internal pressure is detected while reducing or pressurizing the air cell while the user applies the weight. You may acquire as said control reference value based on the detection result in a process.
(14) In the air cell internal pressure control method according to any one of (9) to (13), in the acquiring step, a plurality of the air cells are divided into a plurality of groups, and While leaving at least one of the plurality of groups, the other group may be exhausted and then the exhausted group may be charged.
(15) The internal pressure control method of an air cell according to (10), further comprising the step of detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; in the acquiring step, the user uses a plurality of the air cells. With the weight applied, the air cells of the working group which is a part of the air cells are supplied and exhausted, and the internal pressure in the air cells of the working group is changed from the first internal pressure to the first internal pressure, Even if the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell of the maintenance group which is the remaining of the air cells until reaching a different second internal pressure is acquired as the control reference value based on the detection result in the detection step. Good.
(16) The internal pressure control method of an air cell according to (10) or (11), in the acquiring step, when supplying and discharging the air cells, an operation group performing the air supply and exhaust and the air supply and exhaust are performed. The combination with the non-maintenance group may be changed to obtain the control reference value plural times; in the setting step, the internal pressure may be set according to the control reference value obtained plural times.

  In these inventions, the time required for the air cell to reach the second state from the first state and the amount of state change of the air cell, which are control reference values, change according to the load acting on the air cell. By obtaining the control reference value, the weight of the user on the air cell can be estimated. Therefore, by setting the internal pressure of the air cell in use based on the control reference value, the internal pressure can be set according to the weight of the user.

  According to the present invention, the internal pressure of the air cell can be variously controlled.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the air mattress apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, 2nd Embodiment, and 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the use condition which the user laid on the mat | matte part of the air mattress apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which exhausted the air cell of the 1st group which comprises a mat | matte part with respect to the air mattress apparatus of the use condition shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which exhausted the air cell of the 2nd group which comprises a mat | matte part with respect to the air mattress apparatus of the use condition shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which exhausted from the air cell of the 3rd group which comprises a mat | matte part with respect to the air mattress apparatus of the use condition shown in FIG. It is a flowchart about the internal pressure setting method of the air cell in the air mattress apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart about the internal pressure setting method of the air cell in the air mattress apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart about the internal pressure setting method of the air cell in the air mattress apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the result of the 1st verification test which verifies the effect of this invention, Comprising: It is a graph which shows the relationship between the load which acts on an air cell, and exhaust time. It is a graph which shows the result of the 2nd verification test which verifies the effect of this invention, Comprising: It is a graph which shows the relationship between the load which acts on an air cell, and exhaust time. It is a graph which shows the result of the 3rd verification test which verifies the effect of this invention, Comprising: It is a graph which shows the relationship of the load and air supply time which act on an air cell. It is a graph which shows the result of the 4th verification test which verifies the effect of this invention, Comprising: It is a graph which shows the relationship of the load and air supply time which act on an air cell.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, an air mattress device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Examples of the air mattress device 10 include a bed device in which the user P lies and a cushion device in which the user P is seated. In the present embodiment, a bed device is adopted as an example of the air mattress device 10. Examples of the bed device include a bed device having a back-raising function capable of raising or lowering a back, and a bed device not having a back-raising function. Bed devices of this type include a bed device (so-called motorized bed) that electrically performs back raising or back lowering operation, and a bed device that performs manually without using electric power.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air mattress device 10 includes a mat unit 11 (mattress), an air supply / exhaust unit 12, an internal pressure measurement unit (detection means) 13, and a control unit 14.
The mat portion 11 has a plurality of air cells 15, and supports the load of the user P lying on the mat portion 11 by filling the air cells 15 with air. The internal pressure of the air cell 15 corresponds to the hardness of the mat portion 11, and by setting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 according to the weight of the user P, the hardness of the mat portion 11 is optimum for the user P Can be

  In the mat unit 11 having the air cell 15 set to the optimum internal pressure according to the weight, the body pressure dispersion of the user P is effectively achieved to uniformly disperse the user P's weight on the mat unit 11, for example, use It is possible to prevent a large pressure from being locally applied to the body of the person P and prevent the user P from feeling discomfort such as a foreign object. The internal pressure of such an air cell 15 is obtained as an empirical value, for example, by experiments. In the conventional air mat apparatus in which the user P directly sets the hardness of the mat portion 11 regardless of the weight of the user P, the user P sets an inappropriate hardness, which is sufficient. Body pressure dispersion may not be obtained.

  A plurality of air cells 15 are provided. The air cells 15 are rod-like cells extending in the width direction of the mat portion 11. In the illustrated example, the plurality of air cells 15 form the mat portion 11 by being juxtaposed in the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11. . The air cell 15 can adopt, for example, a configuration formed in a bag shape by welding a polyvinyl chloride film or a urethane film. The air cells 15 arranged adjacent to each other may or may not be fixed to each other. The air cell 15 can be fixed to a cover (not shown) integrally covering the plurality of air cells 15 via a button, a cord, or the like.

The plurality of air cells 15 are divided into a plurality of groups G1 to G3. That is, the plurality of air cells 15 are divided into three groups G1 to G3 from the first group G1 to the third group G3. In the illustrated example, the air cells 15 belonging to the same group extend in the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11. Every other two along the line. That is, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11, the air cells 15 belonging to the first group G1, the air cells 15 belonging to the second group G2, and the air cells 15 further belonging to the third group G3. Each air cell 15 is arranged so as to repeat the order.
The insides of the air cells 15 belonging to the same group are in communication with each other via the communication passage 16, and the internal pressure of the air cells 15 belonging to the same group changes in synchronization with each other. An air tube made of resin such as vinyl chloride can be suitably used for the communication passage 16.

  By dividing the plurality of air cells 15 into the plurality of groups G1 to G3 as described above, the air cells 15 of each of the groups G1 to G3 can be alternately expanded or contracted (alternate expansion and contraction) in a predetermined cycle. Thereby, selection of the air cell 15 which supports the user P can be switched at every fixed period. As a result, for example, the repulsive force from the mat portion 11 is prevented from continuing to be applied to the same part of the user P's body for a long time, and the same pressure is applied to a specific part of the user P's body for a long time It is possible to prevent the generation of bedsores (bed shift), to obtain a massage effect for the user P, and the like.

  The air supply / exhaust unit 12 supplies air to the air cell 15 and exhausts air from the air cell 15. The air supply / exhaust unit 12 includes a pump 17 for supplying air to the air cell 15, an exhaust valve 18 for exhausting air from the air cell 15, and a connection path 19 for connecting the air cell 15 to the pump 17 and the exhaust valve 18 separately. And a plurality of on-off valves 20 for opening and closing the connection path 19.

  The connection path 19 includes a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) branch paths 21 corresponding to the groups G1 to G3 of the air cells 15, and a common path 22 to which the branch paths 21 are commonly connected. ing. Each branch 21 is directly connected to one air cell 15, and indirectly connected to the other air cells 15 of the groups G1 to G3 to which the air cell 15 belongs via the air cell 15. The common passage 22 separately connects the plurality of branch passages 21 with the pump 17 and the exhaust valve 18.

A plurality (three in the illustrated example) of on-off valves 20 are provided corresponding to the branch passages 21 and opens and closes the branch passages 21 provided with itself.
Hereinafter, among the three branch paths 21, the branch path 21 corresponding to the first group G1 of the air cell 15 is referred to as a first branch path 21a, and the branch path 21 corresponding to the second group G2 is referred to as a second branch path 21b, The branch 21 corresponding to the third group G3 is referred to as a third branch 21c. Further, among the three on-off valves 20, the on-off valve 20 corresponding to the first branch passage 21a is the first on-off valve 20a, and the on-off valve 20 corresponding to the second branch passage 21b is the second on-off valve 20b. The on-off valve 20 corresponding to the branch passage 21c is referred to as a third on-off valve 20c.

According to such an air supply / exhaust unit 12, for example, when air is supplied to the air cell 15 of the first group G1, the second on-off valve 20b, the third on-off valve 20c, and the exhaust valve 18 are all closed. The first on-off valve 20a is opened, and air is supplied from the pump 17 to the air cell 15 through the common passage 22 and the first branch passage 21a. When exhausting air from the air cell 15 of the first group G1, with the second on-off valve 20b and the third on-off valve 20c closed, the first on-off valve 20a and the exhaust valve 18 are opened, and the air in the air cell 15 is opened. Are exhausted from the exhaust valve 18 through the first branch passage 21 a and the common passage 22. The air cells 15 of the second group G2 and the air cells 15 of the third group G3 can be similarly supplied and exhausted.
The flow passage diameter of the air in the air supply and discharge unit 12 (the flow passage diameter of the connection passage 19) is, for example, about 2 mm in diameter.

The internal pressure measurement unit 13 measures the internal pressure of the air cell 15 and detects the state of the air cell 15. One internal pressure measuring unit 13 is provided commonly to all the air cells 15. In the present embodiment, the internal pressure measurement unit 13 measures the internal pressure of the air cell 15 through the connection path 19 for each of the groups G1 to G3. For example, when the internal pressure measurement unit 13 measures the internal pressure of the air cell 15 of the first group G1, only the first on-off valve 20a is closed with the second on-off valve 20b, the third on-off valve 20c and the exhaust valve 18 closed. And the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is measured. A plurality of internal pressure measuring units 13 may be provided, for example, corresponding to the groups G1 to G3 of the air cell 15. In this case, one internal pressure measuring unit 13 may be provided in each of the plurality of branch paths 21 It is possible. However, when the number of internal pressure measuring units 13 is single, it is more preferable because the pressure sensors do not have variations as compared with the case where a plurality of internal pressure measuring units 13 are used, and calibration work can be performed in a short time.
The control unit 14 acquires the internal pressure (the detection result of the detection unit) of the air cell 15 from the internal pressure measurement unit 13 and controls the air supply / exhaust unit 12. The control unit 14 controls the pump 17, the exhaust valve 18, and the on-off valve 20 in the air supply and discharge unit 12.

  Next, a method of setting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 (internal pressure control method) in the air mattress device 10 will be described (see FIG. 6).

The air mattress device 10 is activated by turning on a power supply (not shown). After the power is turned on, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to a relatively high pressure (e.g., 4 to 5 kPa) in the initial state before the user P lays on the mat unit 11 (weight is applied). Control. Thereby, for example, even when the user P of the maximum use weight of the air mattress device 10 gets on (places over) the mat portion 11, the bottoming of the user P can be suppressed.
As shown in FIG. 2, after the user P lays weight on the mat portion 11, the control unit 14 alternately expands and contracts the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3. When exhausting air from each air cell 15, the control unit 14 exhausts the others while leaving at least one of the plurality of groups G1 to G3 in a pressurized state, and then supplies the air to the exhausted groups G1 to G3. Do.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 first exhausts only the air cells 15 of the first group G1 without exhausting the air cells 15 of the second group G2 and the third group G3 as shown in FIG. Air is supplied to the air cells 15 of the first group G1. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 14 exhausts only the air cells 15 of the second group G2 without exhausting the air cells 15 of the first group G1 and the third group G3, and then the second group G2 To the air cell 15 of the Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 14 exhausts only the air cells 15 of the third group G3 without exhausting the air cells 15 of the first group G1 and the second group G2, and then the third group G3. To the air cell 15 of the

3 to FIG. 5 show a state in which the exhausted air cell 15 is completely separated from the user P in order to easily show whether the air cell 15 has been exhausted. However, in fact, even if the air cell 15 is exhausted, for example, the air cell 15 which is not exhausted is deformed and the user P sinks, etc., and the body of the user P contacts the exhausted air cell 15 and used The state where the load from the person P is applied is maintained.
For example, the air cells 15 of the groups G1 to G3 can be supplied and discharged in about 5 minutes, and in this case, the entire air cell 15 can be supplied and discharged in about 15 minutes.

  Here, in the air mattress device 10, the control unit 14 causes the air supply / discharge unit 12 to exhaust air in a state where the user P applies weight to the mat unit 11, thereby reducing the pressure of the air cell 15, The pressure fluctuation time from the first internal pressure (first state) to the second internal pressure (second state) lower than the first internal pressure from the first internal pressure (first state) is determined, and control is performed Acquire as a reference value. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 obtains the pressure fluctuation time while alternately expanding and contracting the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3 as described above. The first internal pressure and the second internal pressure can be set in advance.

  That is, when expanding and contracting the air cells 15 of the first group G1, the control unit 14 obtains a pressure fluctuation time for the air cells 15 belonging to the first group G1, and when expanding and contracting the air cells 15 of the second group G2. The pressure fluctuation time is obtained for the air cells 15 belonging to the group G2, and when the air cells 15 of the third group G3 are expanded and contracted, the pressure fluctuation time is obtained for the air cells 15 belonging to the third group G3. As described above, the control unit 14 changes the combination of the working group performing the air supply and discharge and the maintenance group not performing the air supply and discharge when supplying and discharging the air cells 15 and changing the pressure fluctuation time several times (3 in the illustrated example). Times) ask.

  Then, based on the pressure fluctuation time, the control unit 14 controls the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the use state where the air supply and exhaust by the air supply and exhaust unit 12 is stopped and the user P applies weight to the mat unit 11. Set In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of each air cell 15 suitable for the use state based on the pressure fluctuation time obtained a plurality of times. The pressure fluctuation time, which is a control reference value, that is, the time taken for the air cell 15 to reach the second state from the first state changes according to the load acting on the air cell 15, so the pressure fluctuation time is determined Thus, the weight of the user P can be estimated. Therefore, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use can be set according to the weight of the user P by setting based on the pressure fluctuation time.

  When the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the use state based on the pressure fluctuation time, the following procedure can be adopted as an example. That is, first, the control unit 14 compares the pressure fluctuation time with the correspondence relationship (for example, a formula, a table, etc.) previously obtained for the pressure fluctuation time and the load applied to the air cell 15 to determine the weight of the user P. Ask. Then, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the use state based on the weight of the user P thus obtained. As in the present embodiment, when the pressure fluctuation time is determined a plurality of times, the weight of the user P is calculated from each pressure fluctuation time, and the average value, median value and mode value of these calculation results are represented The weight of the user P can be obtained as a value.

As described above, according to the air mattress apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the air supply and exhaust unit 12 and the internal pressure measuring unit 13 used in the general air mattress apparatus 10 can be used as they are when obtaining the pressure fluctuation time. . Therefore, it is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated sensor for estimating the weight of the user P, and the increase in cost can be suppressed.
Further, the pressure fluctuation time is measured according to the air supply and exhaust of the air cell 15, which is usually carried out by the general air mattress apparatus 10, for example, the air supply and exhaust of the air cell 15 which is carried out in order to intentionally change the posture of the user P. You can also In this case, it is also possible to minimize human operations and machine operations required to estimate the weight of the user P.

Further, in order to obtain the weight of the user P, the air mattress device 10 measures the internal pressure fluctuation of the air cell 15 instead of directly measuring the weight of the user P. Therefore, if the user P applies weight on the mat portion 11 within a certain range in which the internal pressure of the air cell 15 can be varied to the same extent, the weight of the user P can be accurately adjusted regardless of the position. It can be estimated.
Further, in the air mat device 10, the internal pressure at the time of air supply and exhaust of the air cell 15 is measured to estimate the weight of the user P. Therefore, it becomes possible to suppress the load from being continuously applied to the internal pressure measurement unit 13 for measuring the internal pressure of the air cell 15 for a long time, and to make it easy to maintain the internal pressure measurement unit 13 in a calibrated state. Can.
As described above, the weight of the user can be accurately reflected in the internal pressure of the air cell 15.

Further, in the air mattress device 10, since the internal pressure at the time of air supply and exhaust of the air cell 15 is measured to estimate the weight of the user P, the weight of the user P is maintained while maintaining the weight applied by the user P. It can be estimated. Therefore, for example, in order to estimate the weight of the user P, the user P who is lying or seated on the mat portion 11 once is separated from the mat portion 11 and is again lying or seated on the mat portion 11 In addition to being able to reduce the burden on the user P, for example, when the user P requires care or nursing, the burden on the caregiver or nurse can also be reduced.
Furthermore, since the weight of the user P is estimated while maintaining the weight of the user P, for example, care and nursing are required, and he / she can not but stay in a lying or sitting state for a long period of time Even the user P can appropriately adjust the internal pressure of the air cell 15 according to the weight of the user.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the time taken for the control unit 14 to reach the second internal pressure (second state) from the first internal pressure (first state) as the control reference value. If the air cell 15 starts to change its state, then, for example, after the air cell 15 starts to alternately expand and contract in the middle stage until the state change is completed, the middle stage to the completion Then, the weight of the user P can be estimated. Therefore, for example, the time required to estimate the weight of the user P can be shortened.

In addition, when the control unit 14 causes the air supply / discharge unit 12 to perform air supply / discharge when acquiring the control reference value, and causes the air cell 15 to exhaust, at least one of the plurality of groups G1 to G3 remains. Since the other groups G1 to G3 are exhausted and then the air is supplied to the exhausted groups G1 to G3, the control reference value can be acquired in accordance with the alternating expansion and contraction. Thus, the influence on the sleeping comfort of the user P can be suppressed, and the special operation or work by the user P can be suppressed as much as possible, and the convenience can be improved.
Further, as described above, since the control unit 14 exhausts the air cell 15 while leaving at least a part of the groups G1 to G3, the user P can be supported by the air cells 15 of the groups G1 to G3 which are not exhausted. And the bottoming of the user P can be prevented.
Furthermore, since the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the pressure fluctuation time obtained a plurality of times, for example, it becomes possible to reduce an error due to disturbance, etc. The internal pressure of the air cell 15 can be set after accurately estimating

(Modification of the first embodiment)
In the present invention, the control unit 14 acquires the time taken for the air cell 15 to reach the second state from the first state as a control reference value, and controls the air supply / exhaust unit 12 according to the control reference value. It is possible to suitably change to the form of

(First modification)
In the first embodiment, the control unit 14 causes the air supply / discharge unit 12 to exhaust air in a state in which the user P applies weight to the mat unit 11 to reduce the pressure in the air cell 15 while the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is reduced. Although the pressure fluctuation time from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure is determined, the present invention is not limited to this aspect.
The control unit 14 causes the air supply / discharge unit 12 to supply air in a state where the user P applies weight to the mat unit 11, thereby pressurizing the air cell 15 while the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is the first internal pressure. From this, the pressure fluctuation time until reaching the second internal pressure higher than the first internal pressure unlike the first internal pressure is determined, and the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the use condition is set based on the pressure fluctuation time. It is also possible. At this time, it is preferable that the pump 17 be operated continuously with a constant driving force.

(2nd modification)
In the first embodiment and the first modification, the control unit 14 acquires the time required for the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to reach the second internal pressure from the first internal pressure, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect. It is not limited. It is possible to adopt a mode in which the control unit 14 acquires, as a control reference value, the time required for the air cell 15 to reach the second state from the first state.
For example, a displacement gauge for detecting the height of the upper surface (the surface the user contacts) of the air cell 15 is provided as a detection means, and the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 is a second height from the first height (first state). It is also possible to acquire, as a control reference value, the time required to reach the second height (the second state). In addition, a flowmeter (velocity meter) for detecting the flow rate (flow velocity) of air supplied and exhausted from the air cell 15 is provided as detection means, and the flow rate of air is changed from the first flow rate (first state) to the second flow rate It is also possible to acquire the time required to reach the second state) as the control reference value.
Furthermore, a load sensor for detecting the magnitude of the load applied to the air cell 15 is provided as a detection means, and the time required for the load applied to the air cell 15 to reach the second load from the first load is acquired as a control reference value. It is also possible.

(Third modification)
In the first embodiment, the first modification, and the second modification, the control unit 14 positively changes the state of the air cell 15 in a state where the user P applies weight to the mat unit 11 in advance. The control reference value is acquired in step S. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect.
For example, the control unit 14 can also acquire the control reference value using the fact that the air cell 15 changes its state when the user P does not get on the mat portion 11 and shifts to the getting on state. It is. In this case, it is preferable to eliminate the influence (noise) by the impact force (potential energy or velocity energy) acting on the air cell 15 when the user P gets on, which is independent of the load of the user P. For this exclusion, for example, a method of excluding from the measurement range a fixed time (time in which noise is applied) after the state change starts, or a pure change amount when noises obtained in advance from the experiment are programmed. It is conceivable to adopt a method of recording with reference to them, estimation by referring to them, a method of taking a sufficiently large number of samples to be averaged, and a method of removing noise.

Second Embodiment
Next, an air mattress device 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, the same parts as the constituent elements in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted, and only different points will be described. In the air mattress device 30 of the present embodiment, the configuration other than the control unit 14 is the same as that of the air mattress device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

  A method of setting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the air mattress device 30 will be described (see FIG. 7).

After the user P turns on the mat unit 11 and applies weight to the air mattress device 30, at least a part of the weight of the user P is left on the air cell 15 so that a load is applied. The control unit 14 alternately expands and contracts the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3 to change the state of the air cells 15.
Here, in the air mattress device 30, with the weight of the user P applied to the mat portion 11, the control unit 14 controls the internal pressure in each air cell 15 of the working group performing the air supply and exhaust according to the first internal pressure. The internal pressure fluctuation (the amount of change in the state of the air cell 15) in each air cell 15 of the maintenance group not performing air supply and exhaust until the second internal pressure lower than the first internal pressure unlike the internal pressure of 1 is determined as a control reference value get. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure fluctuation while alternately expanding and contracting the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3 as described above.

  That is, when expanding / contracting the air cells 15 of the first group G1 (implementation group), the control unit 14 first performs the second group G2 and the third group G2 when the air cells 15 of the first group G1 have the first internal pressure. The internal pressure of the air cell 15 of the group G3 (maintenance group) is measured. At this time, the control unit 14 opens the second on-off valve 20b and the third on-off valve 20c in a state in which the first on-off valve 20a and the exhaust valve 18 are closed, thereby the second group G2 and the third group G3. The internal pressure of the air cell 15 can be measured by the internal pressure measurement unit 13. Next, the internal pressure of the first group G1 is reduced to reach the second internal pressure, the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the second group G2 and the third group G3 at this time is measured, and the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of the maintenance group Ask. Similarly, when expanding / contracting the air cells 15 of the second group G2 (execution group), the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of the first group G1 and the third group G3 (maintenance group). When the air cells 15 of the group G3 (implementation group) are expanded and contracted, the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of the first group G1 and the second group G2 (maintenance group) is determined.

  When the air cell 15 of the first group G1 (implementation group) is expanded and contracted, the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of either the second group G2 or the third group G3 (maintenance group). Is also possible. Similarly, when the air cells 15 of the second group G2 (implementation group) are expanded and contracted, the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of either the first group G1 or the third group G3 (maintenance group) is determined. When expanding / contracting the air cell 15 of (the implementation group), it is also possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of either the first group G1 or the second group G2 (maintenance group).

As described above, the control unit 14 changes the combination of the working groups G1 to G3 performing the air supply and discharge when maintaining the air cells 15 and the maintenance groups G1 to G3 not performing the air supply and exhaust and changes internal pressure a plurality of times ( In the illustrated example, three times are required.
Then, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the internal pressure fluctuation. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of each air cell 15 in the use state based on the internal pressure fluctuation obtained a plurality of times. Since the internal pressure fluctuation that is the control reference value, that is, the state change amount of the air cell 15 changes according to the load acting on the air cell 15, the weight of the user P can be estimated by obtaining the internal pressure fluctuation. Therefore, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use can be set according to the weight of the user P by setting based on the internal pressure fluctuation.

  When the control unit 14 determines the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use based on the internal pressure fluctuation, for example, the control unit 14 first calculates the internal pressure fluctuation for the internal pressure fluctuation and the load on the air cell 15 in advance. Determine the weight of the user P in light of the relationship. Then, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the weight of the user P thus obtained. As in the present embodiment, when the internal pressure fluctuation is determined a plurality of times, the weight of the user P is calculated from each internal pressure fluctuation, and the average value, median value and mode value of these calculation results are used as representative values. The weight of the user P can be determined.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
According to the present invention, in a state where a load is applied by depositing at least a part of the weight of the user P on the air cell 15, the control unit 14 controls the state change amount of the air cell 15 while changing the state of the air cell 15. It is possible to acquire as a value and to change suitably to the other form which controls the air supply / exhaust part 12 according to a control reference value.

(First modification)
In the second embodiment, with the weight of the user P applied to the mat portion 11, the control unit 14 reduces the pressure of the air cells 15 of the working group while the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the working group is the first internal pressure. Although the internal pressure fluctuation of the maintenance group up to the second internal pressure is determined, the present invention is not limited to this aspect.
With the user P putting weight on the mat portion 11, the control unit 14 applies pressure to the air cells 15 of the working group while the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the working group is equal to the first internal pressure from the first internal pressure. Unlike the above, it is also possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation of the maintenance group until reaching the second internal pressure higher than the first internal pressure, and set the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the internal pressure fluctuation. At this time, it is preferable that the pump 17 be operated continuously with a constant driving force.

(2nd modification)
In the first embodiment and the first modification, in a state where the user P applies weight to the mat portion 11, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure in each air cell 15 of the working group to the second internal pressure from the first internal pressure. Although the internal pressure fluctuation (state change amount of the air cell 15) in each air cell 15 of the maintenance group until reaching the internal pressure is obtained and obtained as a control reference value, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. In a state where the load is applied by depositing at least a part of the weight of the user P on the air cell 15, the control unit 14 changes the state change amount of the air cell 15 while actively changing the state of the air cell 15 It is possible to adopt the form acquired as
For example, when a sensor that detects the range of the loaded air cell 15 is provided as a detection unit, and the control unit 14 switches the range of the loaded air cell 15 from the first range to the second range, It is also possible to obtain an internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15 and obtain it as a control reference value. When a plurality of air cells 15 are provided, the range of the loaded air cells 15 can be detected based on the number of air cells 15 with each air cell 15 as one unit of air cells 15. . In this case, for example, in order to narrow the range of the air cell 15 to which the load is applied, a method is adopted in which the internal pressure of some air cells 15 is lowered by the air supply and exhaust unit 12 so that no load is applied to the air cells 15. be able to.
Further, when a sensor for detecting the position of the air cell 15 related to the shape of the mat portion 11 is provided as a detection means, and the control portion 14 switches the shape of the mat portion 11 from the first shape to the second shape, It is also possible to obtain an internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15 and obtain it as a control reference value. In addition, as a shape of the mat portion 11, a flat shape which is a shape in a standard state, each shape in a back-up state, a foot-up state, a rotation state and the like can be mentioned. In the mat unit 11 in the back-lifted state, the head side of the mat unit 11 is higher than the waist corresponding to the user's waist, with the waist as a starting point and inclined. In the mat portion 11 in the foot-raising state, the foot side is bent from the waist portion so that the knee back portion corresponding to the user's knee in the mat portion 11 protrudes upward. In the mat portion 11 in the rotation state, one side in the left-right direction of the mat portion 11 is raised so that the user becomes half in the left-right direction on the mat portion 11.
Further, a sensor for detecting the position of the air cell 15 related to the inclination angle of the mat portion 11 is provided as a detection means, and the control portion 14 switches the inclination angle of the mat portion 11 from the first inclination angle to the second inclination angle At this time, it is also possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15 and obtain it as a control reference value. The mat portion 11 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane in the trending state (extended state) or the reverberation state. In the matte portion 11 in the trendy state, the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11 is inclined so that the head side of the mat portion 11 is lower than the foot side. In the mat portion 11 in the reverberation state, it is inclined in the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11 so that the foot side of the mat portion 11 is lower than the head side.
Further, a sensor for detecting the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 is provided as a detection means, and when the control unit 14 switches the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 from the first height to the second height, the air cell It is also possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation at 15 and obtain it as a control reference value.

(Third modification)
In the first embodiment, the first modification, and the second modification, the control unit 14 obtains the control reference value by obtaining the internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect. . For example, a load sensor that measures the load applied to a part of the air cells 15 among the plurality of air cells 15 may be provided as a detection unit, and load fluctuation applied to the load sensor may be obtained and acquired as a control reference value. .

Third Embodiment
Next, an air mattress device 40 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the third embodiment, the same parts as the constituent elements in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted, and only different points will be described. In the air mattress device 40 of the present embodiment, the configuration other than the control unit 14 is the same as that of the air mattress device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

  A method of setting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the air mattress device 40 will be described (see FIG. 8).

  After turning on the power supply of the air mattress device 40 and placing the weight on the mat portion 11 by the user P, at least a part of the weight of the user P is deposited on the air cell 15 so that a load is applied. The control unit 14 alternately expands and contracts the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3 to change the state of the air cells 15.

Here, in the air mattress device 40, an internal pressure fluctuation that is a state change amount per unit time of the air cell 15 is acquired as a control reference value. In the present embodiment, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time is obtained for the air cells 15 of the groups G1 to G3 in which the plurality of air cells 15 are inflated and contracted.
The unit time can be set arbitrarily. Further, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time can be obtained a plurality of times when the air cells 15 of one group G1 to G3 are expanded and contracted. For example, immediately after the air cell 15 starts to contract, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time is determined, and before and after the air cell 15 is switched from contraction to expansion, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time is determined, and furthermore, the air cell 15 is expanded. Immediately before finishing, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time can be determined. That is, as the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time of the air cell 15, either of the air supply time and the air discharge time can be adopted. For example, with the start of supply of air to the air cell 15 or the start of exhaust as a trigger, it is possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation from the start time (first time) to the time when a predetermined unit time elapses (second time).

The control unit 14 changes the combination of the working groups G1 to G3 performing the air supply and discharge and the maintenance groups G1 to G3 not performing the air supply and discharge, and obtains the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time a plurality of times (three times in the illustrated example).
And the control part 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use condition based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of each air cell 15 in the use state based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time obtained a plurality of times. Since the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time which is the control reference value, that is, the state change amount of the air cell 15 changes according to the load acting on the air cell 15, the user P's Weight can be estimated. Therefore, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use can be set according to the weight of the user P by setting based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time.

  When the control unit 14 determines the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time, for example, first, the control unit 14 changes the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time by the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time and the air cell The weight of the user P is determined in comparison with the correspondence relationship obtained in advance with respect to the load to be applied to 15. Then, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the weight of the user P thus obtained.

(Modification of the third embodiment)
According to the present invention, the control unit 14 can appropriately change the state of the air cell 15 per unit time into a control reference value and control the air supply / discharge unit 12 according to the control reference value. It is.

(First modification)
In the third embodiment, the internal pressure fluctuation of the air cell 15 is adopted as the state change amount of the air cell 15, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect.
For example, as the state change amount of the air cell 15, the flow rate of air sucked and discharged to the air cell 15 per unit time, the displacement amount of the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 displaced per unit time, change per unit time It is also possible to acquire the fluctuation amount of load applied to the air cell 15 as the control reference value.

(2nd modification)
In the third embodiment and the first modification, the control unit 14 acquires the control reference value by actively changing the state of the air cell 15 in a state where the user P applies weight to the mat unit 11 in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the control unit 14 can also acquire the control reference value using the fact that the air cell 15 changes its state when the user P does not get on the mat portion 11 and shifts to the getting on state. It is.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment, the control reference value is acquired in accordance with the alternate expansion and contraction of the air cell 15, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to set the internal pressure of the air cell 15 by acquiring the control reference value at the time of human operation (such as pressing the weight automatic setting button at the timing at which the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is desired to be set).
In addition, a plurality of air cells 15 can be arranged for each of the head, shoulders, hips, thighs, knees and hips of the user P lying on the mat portion 11. In this case, by adjusting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 according to each part of the body, for example, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 at the back and thighs is made larger than the internal pressure of the air cell 15 at the buttocks, thereby further enhancing the body pressure dispersion. Can be
Moreover, it is also possible to employ | adopt the structure provided with one air cell 15 as the mat | matte part 11. FIG.

  In the embodiment, the control unit 14 controls the air supply and exhaust unit 12 according to the acquired control reference value, but estimates the weight of the user based on the acquired control reference value and uses it as a weight scale. It is also possible. In this case, the weight of the user may be separately input, and the input weight may be compared with the estimated weight to be used as a failure detection function. Moreover, when a user's body weight is estimated to be 0, it can also be utilized as a bed leaving sensor which judges that a user is not riding. In this case, it is also possible to set a power saving mode in which the alternate expansion and contraction by the control unit 14 is stopped. In addition, for example, after determining that the user is riding, it is possible to start control of the internal pressure of the air cell 15 by using the function as a bed leaving sensor and the like. That is, the control unit 14 can be configured to acquire the control reference value after detecting that the user is on the mat unit 11 (the load is applied to the air cell 15). is there.

  Further, by using the fact that the weight of the user P can be estimated from the control reference value, if the weight of the user P is known, it is also possible to estimate the shape and the inclination angle of the mat portion 11 from the control reference value. . That is, for example, in the air cell 15 in the back-up state, if the weight of the user P, the internal pressure of the air cell 15, the shape of the mat portion 11 and the inclination angle of the user 11 are obtained in advance By measuring the internal pressure of the air cell 15, the shape and the inclination angle of the mat portion 11 can be grasped.

  Although the air mat device 10 having the air cells 15 to be supplied and exhausted is illustrated in the above embodiment, it is also applicable to a fluid mat device having a fluid cell containing a fluid, such as a so-called water bed.

  In addition, it is possible to replace components in the embodiment with known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described modifications may be combined as appropriate.

  Next, a verification test performed to verify the effects of the present invention will be described.

As verification tests, five verification tests of first to fifth verification tests were conducted.
In the first verification test and the second verification test, the relationship between the load acting on the air cell 15 and the time required for the pressure reduction of the air cell 15 was verified.
In the third verification test and the fourth verification test, the relationship between the load acting on the air cell 15 and the time required for pressurizing the air cell 15 was verified.
In the fifth verification test, pressure fluctuations of the maintenance group when the air cells 15 of the implementation group were exhausted were verified.

  In the first verification test, a base plate of a human body type in plan view is placed on the mat portion 11 in the air mattress devices 10 and 30 shown in FIG. 1, and a predetermined number of plate weights are stacked on the base plate. A load was applied to the air cell 15. Three types of loads of 30 kg, 59 kg and 78 kg were separately applied to the air cell 15. Then, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 of the first group G1 was reduced, and the relationship between the internal pressure of the air cell 15 and time was measured.

The results are shown in FIG. In the graph of FIG. 9, the horizontal axis indicates the exhaust time (minute: second), and the vertical axis indicates the internal pressure (kPa) of the air cell 15 of the first group G1. The graph line L11 in the graph shows the case of a load of 30 kg, the graph line L12 shows the case of a load of 59 kg, and the graph line L13 shows the case of a load of 78 kg.
As shown in FIG. 9, it was confirmed that it takes time for the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to decrease as the load acting on the air cell 15 increases.

  In the second verification test, in place of the air mat device 10 shown in FIG. 1, a single air chamber cell as an air cell was adopted. A load was applied to the air cell using a pressure standard defined by JIS T9256-3. Three types of loads of 7 kg, 17 kg and 28 kg were applied to the air cell. Then, the internal pressure of the air cell was reduced, and the relationship between the internal pressure of the air cell and time was measured.

The results are shown in FIG. In the graph of FIG. 10, the horizontal axis indicates the exhaust time (minute: second), and the vertical axis indicates the internal pressure (kPa) of the air cell. The graph line L21 in the graph shows the case of a load of 7 kg, the graph line L22 shows the case of a load of 17 kg, and the graph line L23 shows the case of a load of 28 kg.
As shown in FIG. 10, it was confirmed that it takes time for the internal pressure of the air cell to decrease as the load acting on the air cell increases.

In the third verification test, after preparing a test environment similar to the first verification test, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 of the first group G1 was pressurized, and the relationship between the internal pressure of the air cell 15 and time was measured. The results are shown in FIG. In the graph of FIG. 11, the horizontal axis indicates the air supply time (minute: second). Item names on the vertical axis shown in FIG. 11 and symbols indicating a graph line are common to the graph in FIG. 9.
As shown in FIG. 11, it was confirmed that it takes time for the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to increase as the load acting on the air cell 15 increases.

In the fourth verification test, after preparing a test environment similar to the second verification test, the internal pressure of the air cell was pressurized, and the relationship between the internal pressure of the air cell and time was measured.
The results are shown in FIG. In the graph of FIG. 12, the horizontal axis indicates the air supply time (minute: second). Item names on the vertical axis shown in FIG. 12 and symbols indicating a graph line are common to the graph in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, it was confirmed that it takes time for the internal pressure of the air cell to increase as the load acting on the air cell increases.

In the fifth verification test, after preparing a test environment similar to the first verification test, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 of the first group G1 (implementation group) is set to about 1.9 kPa (first internal pressure) to 0.6 kPa The pressure was reduced to a degree (second internal pressure), and the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the second group G2 and the third group G3 (maintenance group) at this time was measured.
The results are shown in Table 1.

  From Table 1 above, it was confirmed that, as the load acting on the air cell 15 is higher, the internal pressure fluctuation of the maintenance group is larger.

10, 30, 40 Air Mat Device 11 Mat Unit 12 Air Supply and Exhaust Unit 13 Internal Pressure Measurement Unit 14 Control Unit 15 Air Cell P User

Claims (14)

A mat portion having an air cell;
An air supply / exhaust unit for supplying air to the air cell and exhausting air from the air cell;
A state in which at least a part of the weight of the user is deposited on the mat portion is maintained in advance, and the air cell is in the first state, while reaching the second state while discharging air from the air cell or supplying air to the air cell. A control unit that acquires the required time and controls the air supply / exhaust unit according to the acquired time;
An air mattress apparatus comprising: A mat portion having an air cell;
An air supply / exhaust unit for supplying air to the air cell and exhausting air from the air cell;
Maintaining at least a part of the weight of the user with respect to the air cell in advance, maintaining the state of the air cell per predetermined time while changing the state of the air cell by discharging the air from the air cell or supplying the air to the air cell. A control unit that acquires an amount and controls the air supply and exhaust unit according to the acquired state change amount;
An air mattress apparatus comprising: It further comprises detection means for detecting the state of the air cell;
The detection means may, as a state of the air cell, an internal pressure of the air cell, a range of the air cell to which a load is applied, and a position of the air cell related to at least one of a shape and an inclination angle of the mat portion. Detecting at least one of the height of the upper surface of the air cell, the size of the load applied to the air cell, and the amount of air supplied and discharged from the air cell;
The control unit acquires the time or the state change amount based on the detection result of the detection unit;
The air mat device according to claim 1 or 2 characterized by things. It further comprises detection means for detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell;
The detection means detects that the internal pressure of the air cell is a first internal pressure as the first state, and the internal pressure of the air cell is a second internal pressure as the second state. Detect;
In a state where the user puts weight on the mat portion, the control portion causes the air supply / exhaust portion to perform the exhaust or the air supply to decompress or pressurize the air cell. Obtaining a pressure fluctuation time from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure based on a detection result of the detection means;
The air mat device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of air cells are provided and divided into a plurality of groups;
When the control unit acquires the time or the state change amount, at least one of the plurality of groups when the air supply or exhaust unit performs the air supply or the exhaust and the air cell exhausts the air. Evacuate the other groups while leaving one remaining, and then charge the exhausted groups;
The air mat device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: It further comprises detection means for detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell;
A plurality of air cells are provided and divided into a plurality of groups;
The control unit exhausts the other groups while leaving at least one of the plurality of groups when exhausting air from the air cells, and thereafter supplies the exhausted groups; In a state where the user applies a weight, the control unit is operated in such a manner that the internal pressure in each air cell of the working group performing the air supply and discharge reaches a second internal pressure different from the first internal pressure to the first internal pressure. Acquiring an internal pressure fluctuation in each of the air cells of the maintenance group not performing the air supply and exhaust based on a detection result of the detection unit;
The air mat device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit changes the combination of the working group performing the air supply and discharge and the maintenance group not performing the air supply and exhaust when the air cells are supplied and discharged, and obtains the time or the state change amount multiple times, Control the air supply / exhaust unit according to the result of the determination;
The air mat device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The internal pressure control method of an air cell, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell is set in a use state in which the weight of the user is supported by the air cell after stopping the air supply and discharge to the air cell to be supplied and discharged;
A state in which at least a part of the weight is deposited by the user on the air cell is maintained in advance, and the air cell is discharged from the first state to the second state while being discharged to the air cell or supplied to the air cell. Obtaining the required time;
Setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state according to the acquired time;
A method of controlling internal pressure of an air cell, comprising: The internal pressure control method of an air cell, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell is set in a use state in which the weight of the user is supported by the air cell after stopping the air supply and discharge to the air cell to be supplied and discharged;
Maintaining at least a part of the weight of the user with respect to the air cell is maintained in advance, and exhaust air from the air cell or air is supplied to the air cell to change the state of the air cell per predetermined time of the air cell Obtaining a state change amount of
Setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state according to the acquired state change amount;
A method of controlling internal pressure of an air cell, comprising: The air cell related to at least one of an inner pressure of the air cell, a range of the air cell to which a load is applied, and a shape and an inclination angle of a mat portion at least partially formed by the air cell as a state of the air cell. Detecting at least one of the position of the air cell, the height of the upper surface of the air cell, the size of the load applied to the air cell, and the amount of air supplied and discharged from the air cell;
In the acquiring step, the time or the state change amount is acquired based on the detection result in the detecting step;
The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell is controlled. Detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell;
In the detecting step, it is detected that the internal pressure of the air cell is a first internal pressure as the first state, and the internal pressure of the air cell is a second internal pressure as the second state. Detect that;
In the acquiring step, in a state where the user applies the weight to the air cell, the internal pressure of the air cell extends from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure while reducing or pressurizing the air cell. The pressure fluctuation time up to is obtained based on the detection result in the detecting step;
The method according to claim 8, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell is controlled. In the acquiring step, the plurality of air cells provided are divided into a plurality of groups, and at least one of the plurality of groups is left, the other groups are exhausted, and then the air is supplied to the exhausted groups. The internal pressure control method of an air cell according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein: Detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell;
In the acquiring step, in a state where the user applies the weight to the plurality of air cells, the air cells of the working group which is a part of the air cells are supplied and exhausted, and the air cells of the working group are operated. Detecting the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell of the maintenance group, which is the remaining of the air cells, from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure different from the first internal pressure in the step Get based on the detection result of;
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell is controlled. In the acquiring step, when supplying and discharging the air cells, changing the combination of the operation group performing the air supply and discharge and the maintenance group not performing the air supply and discharge determines the time or the state change amount multiple times;
In the setting step, the internal pressure is set according to the result obtained by the plurality of times;
The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell is controlled.

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