JP2022107686A - Air mat device and air cell inner pressure control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To variously control inner pressure of air cells.

SOLUTION: An air mat device includes: a mat section having a plurality of air cells; an air supply/exhaustion section for supplying air to the air cells and exhausting air from the air cells; and a control section for controlling the air supply/exhaustion section in response to a required time or a state change amount of the air cells to change from a first state to the second state while performing exhaustion from the air cells or supplying to the air cells in a state where application of a part of the body weight of a user is pre-kept onto the mat section. The air cells are divided into a plurality of groups.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air mattress device having a configuration described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below is known. An air mattress device includes a mat portion having air cells, and an air supply/exhaust portion for supplying air to the air cells and exhausting air from the air cells.
In this type of air mattress device, the internal pressure of the air cell is generally set according to the weight of the user when the air supply and exhaust by the air supply/exhaust unit is stopped and the user puts his or her weight on the mat. is preferred.

JP 2014-209958 A

In recent years, as the use of air mattress devices has expanded, various methods of controlling the internal pressure of air cells in air mattress devices have been desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to control the internal pressure of an air cell in various ways.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
(1) An air mattress device according to the present invention comprises a mat portion having air cells; an air supply/exhaust portion for supplying air to and exhausting air from the air cells; and changing the air cells from a first state to a second state. and a control unit that obtains a time required to reach the point as a control reference value and controls the air supply/exhaust unit according to the control reference value.
(2) The air mattress device according to the present invention comprises a mat portion having air cells; an air supply/exhaust portion for supplying air to and exhausting air from the air cells; a control unit that obtains a state change amount of the air cell as a control reference value while changing the state of the air cell under a load applied by depositing the air cell, and controls the air supply/exhaust unit according to the control reference value; It is characterized by having
(3) An air mattress device according to the present invention comprises: a mat portion having air cells; an air supply/exhaust portion for supplying air to and exhausting air from the air cells; and controlling the state change amount per unit time of the air cells. a control unit that obtains a reference value and controls the air supply/exhaust unit according to the control reference value;
characterized by comprising

In these inventions, the time required for the air cell to change from the first state to the second state and the state change amount 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 user's weight on the air cell can be estimated. Therefore, when setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the state of use in which the air supply and exhaust by the air supply/exhaust unit are stopped and the user puts his or her weight on the mat, the air supply/exhaust unit can be controlled according to the control reference value. , the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state can be set according to the weight of the user.

Here, the control unit acquires a control reference value and estimates the weight of the user while changing the state of the air cell in a state in which at least part of the weight of the user is applied to the air cell. In some cases, the weight of the user can be estimated while the user is keeping the weight on. Therefore, for example, in order to estimate the weight of the user, compared to the case where the user who is lying down or sitting on the mat part once leaves the mat part and then lies down or sits down on the mat part again. In addition to reducing the burden on the user, for example, when the user needs care or nursing, the burden on the caregiver or nurse can also be reduced. Furthermore, when estimating the weight of the user while maintaining the weight on the user, for example, the user who needs care or nursing care and has no choice but to lie down or sit for a long period of time. Even so, the internal pressure of the air cell can be appropriately adjusted according to the body weight at that time.

Further, when the control unit acquires the time required for the air cell to change from the first state to the second state or the state change amount of the air cell per unit time as the control reference value, the air cell states The user's weight can be estimated at intermediate stages after the change is initiated until the state change is completed. Therefore, for example, it is possible to shorten 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 detecting means for detecting the state of the air cell; the internal pressure of the air cell, the range of the air cell to which the load is applied, the position of the air cell in relation to at least one of the shape and the inclination angle of the mat portion, the height of the upper surface of the air cell, and the air cell At least one of the magnitude of the load and the air supply/exhaust amount from the air cell may be detected; and the control unit may acquire the control reference value based on the detection result of the detection means.

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

(5) The air mattress device according to (1), further comprising detecting means for detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; is the first internal pressure, and as the second state, the internal pressure of the air cell is detected to be the second internal pressure; and the control unit causes the air supply/exhaust unit to perform the exhaust or the air supply, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the air cell from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure while decompressing or pressurizing the air cell. The pressure fluctuation time until reaching the point may be acquired as the control reference value based on the detection result of the detection means.
(6) In the air mattress device according to any one of (1) to (5), a plurality of the air cells are provided and divided into a plurality of groups; and the control section obtains the control reference value. When the air supply/exhaust unit is caused to perform the air supply or the exhaust, and when the air is exhausted from each of the air cells, the other groups are exhausted while leaving at least one of the plurality of groups, and then , may supply air to the evacuated group.
(7) The air mattress device according to (2), further comprising detecting means for detecting the 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; when exhausting air from each of the air cells, leaving at least one of the plurality of groups, exhausting other groups, and then supplying air to the exhausted group; In a state where the body weight is applied, the control unit adjusts the air supply from a first internal pressure to a second internal pressure different from the first internal pressure in each of the air cells of the execution group for performing the air supply/exhaust. The internal pressure fluctuation in each of the air cells in the maintenance group in which no exhaust is performed 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 aforementioned pressure fluctuation time and internal pressure fluctuation as control reference values based on the detection result of the detection means. When obtaining this type of control reference value, the air supply/exhaust unit and the internal pressure measurement unit (detection means) used in a general air mattress device can be used as they are. Therefore, there is no need to newly provide a dedicated sensor for estimating the user's weight, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.
In addition, the above-mentioned pressure fluctuation time and internal pressure fluctuation are adjusted in addition to the air cell supply/exhaust that is normally performed in a general air mattress device, for example, the air supply/exhaust that is performed to intentionally change the user's posture. can also be measured. In this case, it is possible to minimize human operations and machine operations required for estimating the user's weight.

In order to obtain the user's weight, this air mattress device does not directly measure the user's weight, but measures the internal pressure fluctuation of the air cell. Therefore, if the user puts his/her weight on the mat portion within a certain range in which the internal pressure of the air cell can be changed to the same degree, the user's weight can be accurately estimated regardless of the position. can.
Furthermore, in this air mattress device, the internal pressure of the air cell during air supply and exhaust is measured to estimate the weight of the user. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a load from being continuously applied over a long period of time to the internal pressure measuring section that measures the internal pressure of the air cell, and it is possible to easily maintain the calibrated state of the internal pressure measuring section.
As described above, the weight of the user can be accurately reflected in the internal pressure of the air cell.

In each of the above air mattress devices, when the control unit acquires the control reference value, the control unit causes the air supply/exhaust unit to perform air supply/exhaust, and when exhausting air from the air cell, at least one of the plurality of groups remains. , and other groups are evacuated, and then air is supplied to the evacuated group, for example, the control reference value can be obtained in accordance with alternate expansion and contraction for the purpose of pressure ulcers (bedsores). In this case, it is possible to suppress the influence on the user's comfort in bed, and it is possible to suppress special operations and work by the user as much as possible, thereby improving convenience.
Further, as described above, when the control unit evacuates the air cells while leaving at least some of the groups, the user can be supported by the air cells of the groups that are not evacuated, thereby preventing the user from bottoming out. can be done.

(8) In the air mattress device according to (6) or (7), when the control unit supplies and exhausts the air cells, an execution group that performs the supply and exhaust and a maintenance group that does not perform the supply and exhaust. The control reference value may be obtained a plurality of times by changing the combination of , and the air supply/exhaust unit may be controlled according to the control reference value obtained a plurality of times.

In this case, the control unit controls the air supply/exhaust unit according to the control reference value obtained a plurality of times. You can set the internal pressure of the air cell with .

(9) The method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell according to the present invention sets the internal pressure of the air cell in a use state in which the air cell to which the air cell is supplied and exhausted is stopped and the user's weight is supported by the air cell. A method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell; obtaining a control reference value for the time required for the air cell to change from a first state to a second state; and setting the internal pressure of the air cell.
(10) The method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell according to the present invention sets the internal pressure of the air cell in a use state in which the air cell to which the air cell is supplied and exhausted is stopped and the weight of the user is supported by the air cell. A method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell; controlling the amount of change in the state of the air cell while changing the state of the air cell in a state in which the air cell is loaded by placing at least part of the weight of the user on the air cell. obtaining a reference value; and setting the internal pressure of the air cell in the use state according to the control reference value.
(11) The method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell according to the present invention sets the internal pressure of the air cell in a use state in which the air cell to which the air cell is supplied and exhausted is stopped and the weight of the user is supported by the air cell. A method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell, comprising the step of: acquiring 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. characterized by comprising the steps of; (12) The air cell internal pressure control method according to any one of (9) to (11), wherein the state of the air cell is the internal pressure of the air cell and the range of the air cell to which the load is applied. a position of the air cell in relation to at least one of a shape and an inclination angle of the mat portion at least partially formed by the air cell, a height of the upper surface of the air cell, and a magnitude of the load applied to the air cell; a step of detecting at least one of an air supply and exhaust amount from the air cell; .
(13) The air cell internal pressure control method according to (9), further comprising the step of detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; 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; The pressure fluctuation time required for the internal pressure of the air cell to reach the second internal pressure from the first internal pressure is detected while the air cell is decompressed or pressurized with the user applying the weight. The control reference value may be obtained based on the detection result in the process.
(14) The air cell internal pressure control method according to any one of (9) to (13), wherein in the obtaining step, the plurality of air cells are divided into a plurality of groups, and the At least one of the multiple groups may remain, while the other groups are evacuated, and then the evacuated group is refilled.
(15) The air cell internal pressure control method according to (10), further comprising the step of detecting the internal pressure of the air cell as the state of the air cell; With the body weight applied, the air cells of the implementation group, which are a part of the air cells, are supplied and exhausted, and the internal pressure of each of the air cells of the implementation group increases from the first internal pressure to the first internal pressure. The internal pressure fluctuation in each of the remaining air cells of the maintenance group, which is the remaining one of the air cells, up to a different second internal pressure may be obtained as the control reference value based on the detection result in the detecting step. good.
(16) In the air cell internal pressure control method according to (10) or (11), in the acquiring step, when the air cells are supplied and exhausted, the execution group for performing the supply and exhaust and the air supply and exhaust are performed. The control reference value may be obtained a plurality of times by changing combinations with non-maintenance groups; in the setting step, the internal pressure may be set according to the control reference value obtained a plurality of times.

In these inventions, the time required for the air cell to change from the first state to the second state and the state change amount 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 user's weight 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.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air mattress device according to first, second, and third embodiments of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a usage state in which a user lies down on the mat portion of the air mattress device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which air is exhausted from the first group of air cells constituting the mat portion of the air mattress device in use shown in FIG. 2 ; FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which air is exhausted from a second group of air cells constituting a mat portion of the air mattress device in use shown in FIG. 2 ; FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which air is exhausted from a third group of air cells constituting a mat portion of the air mattress device in use shown in FIG. 2 ; 4 is a flowchart of a method for setting the internal pressure of air cells in the air mattress device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 9 is a flowchart of a method for setting the internal pressure of air cells in an air mattress device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 10 is a flowchart of a method for setting the internal pressure of air cells in an air mattress device according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a graph showing the results of a first verification test for verifying the effects of the present invention, and showing the relationship between the load acting on the air cell and the exhaust time. 4 is a graph showing the results of a second verification test for verifying the effects of the present invention, and showing the relationship between the load acting on the air cell and the exhaust time. 4 is a graph showing the results of a third verification test for verifying the effects of the present invention, and showing the relationship between the load acting on the air cell and the air supply time. 4 is a graph showing the results of a fourth verification test for verifying the effects of the present invention, and showing the relationship between the load acting on the air cell and the air supply time.

(First embodiment)
An air mattress device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Examples of the air mattress device 10 include a bed device on which the user P lies and a cushion device on which the user P sits. The bed apparatus includes a bed apparatus having a back-raising function capable of raising or lowering the back, and a bed apparatus having no back-raising function. This type of bed apparatus includes a bed apparatus that electrically raises or lowers the back (a so-called electric bed) and a bed apparatus that is manually operated without using electric power.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air mattress device 10 includes a mat portion 11 (mattress), an air supply/exhaust portion 12, an internal pressure measurement portion (detection means) 13, and a control portion .
The mat portion 11 has a plurality of air cells 15 , and the air is filled inside the air cells 15 to support the load of the user P lying on the mat portion 11 . 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 can be optimized for the user P. can be made

The mat portion 11 having the air cells 15 set to the optimum internal pressure according to the body weight of the user P effectively distributes the body pressure of the user P and evenly distributes the body weight of the user P on the mat portion 11, for example. It is possible to prevent the user P from locally applying a large pressure to the body of the person P and from feeling discomfort such as a foreign body sensation. Such an internal pressure of the air cell 15 is obtained as an empirical value through experiments or the like. In the conventional air mattress device 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 may set an inappropriate hardness. Body pressure distribution may not be obtained.

A plurality of air cells 15 are provided. The air cells 15 are bar-shaped cells extending in the width direction of the mat portion 11. In the illustrated example, a plurality of air cells 15 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11 to form the mat portion 11. . For the air cell 15, for example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a vinyl chloride film or a urethane film is welded to form a bag shape. The air cells 15 arranged adjacent to each other may or may not be fixed to each other. The air cell 15 can also be fixed to a cover (not shown) that integrally covers the plurality of air cells 15 via a button, string, or the like.

A 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, a first group G1 to a third group G3. are arranged every two along the That is, when viewed along 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 belonging to the third group G3 are arranged. 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 communicated with each other via the communication passages 16, and the internal pressures of the air cells 15 belonging to the same group fluctuate synchronously. For the communication passage 16, for example, an air tube made of resin such as vinyl chloride can be preferably used.

By dividing the plurality of air cells 15 into the plurality of groups G1 to G3 in this manner, the air cells 15 in each group G1 to G3 can be alternately expanded or contracted (alternate expansion and contraction) at regular intervals. As a result, the selection of the air cell 15 that supports the user P can be switched at regular intervals. As a result, for example, the repulsive force from the mat portion 11 is prevented from being continuously 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's P body for a long time. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of bedsores (bedsores), obtain a massage effect for the user P, and the like.

The air supply/exhaust part 12 supplies air to the air cell 15 and exhausts air from the air cell 15 . The air supply/exhaust 12 includes a pump 17 that supplies air to the air cell 15, an exhaust valve 18 that exhausts air from the air cell 15, and a connection path 19 that connects the air cell 15, the pump 17, and the exhaust valve 18, respectively. and a plurality of on-off valves 20 for opening and closing the passages 19 .

The connection path 19 includes a plurality of branch paths 21 (three in the illustrated example) provided 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 via this air cell 15 to other air cells 15 of groups G1 to G3 to which this air cell 15 belongs. The common path 22 connects the plurality of branch paths 21 to the pump 17 and the exhaust valve 18 separately.

A plurality (three in the illustrated example) of the on-off valves 20 are provided corresponding to the branch passages 21, and open and close the branch passages 21 in which they are provided.
Hereinafter, among the three branch paths 21, the branch path 21 corresponding to the first group G1 of the air cells 15 is referred to as a first branch path 21a, the branch path 21 corresponding to the second group G2 is referred to as a second branch path 21b, The fork 21 corresponding to the third group G3 is referred to as a third fork 21c. Among the three on-off valves 20, the on-off valve 20 corresponding to the first branch 21a is designated as the first on-off valve 20a, the on-off valve 20 corresponding to the second branch 21b is designated as the second on-off valve 20b, and the third 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 cells 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 cells 15 of the first group G1, the first on-off valve 20a and the exhaust valve 18 are opened while the second on-off valve 20b and the third on-off valve 20c are closed, and the air in the air cell 15 is is 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 supplied and exhausted in the same manner.
In addition, the diameter of the air passage in the air supply/exhaust part 12 (the diameter of the passage of the connecting passage 19) is, for example, about 2 mm.

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 measurement unit 13 is provided in common for all the air cells 15 . In the present embodiment, the internal pressure measuring section 13 measures the internal pressure of the air cell 15 through the connection path 19 for each group G1 to G3. For example, when the internal pressure measurement unit 13 measures the internal pressure of the air cells 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, and only the first on-off valve 20a is is opened and the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is measured. A plurality of internal pressure measuring units 13 may be provided corresponding to groups G1 to G3 of air cells 15, for example. It is possible. However, when the number of internal pressure measuring units 13 is single, it is more preferable because there is less variation between pressure sensors than when multiple internal pressure measuring units 13 are used, and the calibration work can be performed in a short time.
The control unit 14 acquires the internal pressure of the air cell 15 from the internal pressure measurement unit 13 (detection result of the detection means) and controls the air supply/exhaust unit 12 . The control unit 14 controls the pump 17 , the exhaust valve 18 and the opening/closing valve 20 of the air supply/exhaust unit 12 .

Next, the internal pressure setting method (internal pressure control method) of the air cell 15 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). In the initial state after the power is turned on and before the user P lies down (puts weight on) on the mat section 11, the control section 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to a relatively high pressure (for example, 4 to 5 kPa). Control. As a result, for example, even when the user P with the maximum working weight of the air mattress device 10 gets on (lies down) on the mat portion 11, the user P can be prevented from bottoming out.
As shown in FIG. 2, after the user P lies down on the mat portion 11 and puts his or her weight on it, the control portion 14 alternately inflates and deflates the air cells 15 in groups G1 to G3. When exhausting air from each air cell 15, the control unit 14 leaves at least one of the plurality of groups G1 to G3 in a pressurized state, exhausts the others, and then supplies air to the exhausted groups G1 to G3. do.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, 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, and then, 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 exhausts the air cells 15 of the second group G2. air is supplied to the air cell 15 of . 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 exhausts the air cells 15 of the third group G3. air is supplied to the air cell 15 of .

3 to 5 show a state in which the air cell 15 that has been exhausted is completely separated from the user P in order to easily show whether or not the air cell 15 has been exhausted. However, in reality, even when the air cells 15 are in an exhausted state, for example, the air cells 15 that are not exhausted are deformed and the user P sinks down, and the body of the user P comes into contact with the exhausted air cells 15 during use. The state in which the load from the person P is applied is maintained.
The air supply/exhaust of the air cells 15 of each group G1 to G3 can be performed, for example, in about 5 minutes. In this case, the air supply/exhaust of the entire air cells 15 can be performed in about 15 minutes.

Here, in the air mattress device 10, the control unit 14 causes the air supply/exhaust unit 12 to exhaust air in a state where the user P puts his or her weight on the mat unit 11, thereby depressurizing the air cells 15 while reducing the pressure in the air cells 15. From the first internal pressure (first state) to the second internal pressure (second state), which is different from the first internal pressure and lower than the first internal pressure, the pressure fluctuation time is obtained and controlled. Get it as a reference value. In this embodiment, the control unit 14 obtains the pressure fluctuation time while alternately inflating and deflating the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3 as described above. Note that the first internal pressure and the second internal pressure can be set in advance.

That is, when inflating and deflating the air cells 15 of the first group G1, the control unit 14 obtains the pressure fluctuation time of the air cells 15 belonging to the first group G1, and when inflating and deflating the air cells 15 of the second group G2, the second The pressure fluctuation time is obtained for the air cells 15 belonging to the group G2, and when the air cells 15 belonging to the third group G3 are to be inflated and deflated, the pressure fluctuation time is obtained for the air cells 15 belonging to the third group G3. In this way, when air is supplied/exhausted from each air cell 15, the control unit 14 changes the combination of the execution group in which air supply/exhaust is performed and the maintenance group in which air supply/exhaust is not performed, and changes the pressure fluctuation time a plurality of times (three times in the illustrated example). times) ask.

Then, the control unit 14 adjusts the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the state of use in which the air supply and exhaust by the air supply/exhaust unit 12 is stopped and the user P puts his or her weight on the mat unit 11 based on the pressure fluctuation time. set. In this embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of each air cell 15 that is suitable for the usage conditions based on the pressure fluctuation times obtained multiple times. The pressure fluctuation time, which is the control reference value, that is, the time required for the air cell 15 to change from the first state to the second state changes according to the load acting on the air cell 15. Therefore, the pressure fluctuation time is obtained. Thus, the weight of the user P can be estimated. Therefore, by setting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in use based on the pressure fluctuation time, it can be set according to the weight of the user P.

When the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the usage condition 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 a predetermined correspondence relationship (for example, a formula or a table) between the same pressure fluctuation time and the load applied to the air cell 15, and calculates the weight of the user P. Ask. Based on the weight of the user P obtained in this manner, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 suitable for the usage conditions. When the pressure fluctuation time is obtained multiple times as in this embodiment, the weight of the user P is calculated from each pressure fluctuation time, and the average, median, and mode of these calculation results are representative. The weight of the user P can be determined as a value.

As described above, according to the air mattress device 10 according to the present embodiment, the air supply/exhaust unit 12 and the internal pressure measurement unit 13 used in a general air mattress device 10 can be used as they are when determining the pressure fluctuation time. . Therefore, there is no need to newly provide a dedicated sensor for estimating the weight of the user P, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.
In addition, the pressure fluctuation time is measured in accordance with the air supply/exhaust of the air cell 15 that is normally performed in the general air mattress device 10, for example, the air supply/exhaust of the air cell 15 that is performed to intentionally change the posture of the user P. You can also In this case, it is possible to minimize human operations and machine operations required to estimate the weight of the user P.

In order to obtain the weight of the user P, the air mattress device 10 does not measure the weight of the user P directly, but measures the internal pressure fluctuation of the air cell 15 . Therefore, if the user P puts his/her weight on the mat portion 11 within a certain range in which the internal pressure of the air cell 15 can be changed to the same degree, the weight of the user P can be accurately calculated regardless of the position. can be estimated.
Further, in the air mattress device 10, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 during air supply and exhaust is measured to estimate the weight of the user P. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a load from being continuously applied to the internal pressure measuring section 13 for measuring the internal pressure of the air cell 15 for a long time, and to facilitate maintaining the internal pressure measuring section 13 in a calibrated state. can be done.
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, the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is measured during air supply/exhaust to estimate the weight of the user P. can be estimated. Therefore, for example, in order to estimate the weight of the user P, the user P who is lying down or sitting on the mat part 11 once leaves the mat part 11 and then lies down or sits on the mat part 11 again. In addition to reducing the burden on the user P, for example, when the user P needs care or nursing care, 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, nursing care is required, and the user has no choice but to lie down or sit 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 P at that time.

Further, as in the present embodiment, the control unit 14 uses the control reference value as the time required for the air cell 15 to reach the second internal pressure (second state) from the first internal pressure (first state). is acquired, after the air cell 15 starts to change the state, in the middle stage until the state change is completed, for example, after the air cell 15 starts alternate inflation and deflation , 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.

Further, when the control unit 14 acquires the control reference value, the air supply/exhaust unit 12 performs air supply/exhaust, and when air is exhausted from the air cell 15, at least one of the plurality of groups G1 to G3 remains. , the other groups G1 to G3 are exhausted, and then the exhausted groups G1 to G3 are supplied with air, so that the control reference value can be obtained in accordance with the alternate expansion and contraction. As a result, it is possible to reduce the influence on the comfort of the user P in bed, and it is possible to minimize special operations and work by the user P, thereby improving convenience.
Further, as described above, the control unit 14 exhausts the air cells 15 while leaving at least some of the groups G1 to G3, so that the user P can be supported by the air cells 15 of the groups G1 to G3 that are not exhausted. It becomes possible to prevent the user P from bottoming out.
Furthermore, since the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the operating state based on the pressure fluctuation time obtained a plurality of times, it is possible, for example, to reduce errors due to disturbances, and the weight of the user P is reduced. can be accurately estimated to set the internal pressure of the air cell 15 .

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

(First modification)
In the first embodiment, the control unit 14 causes the air supply/exhaust unit 12 to exhaust air in a state in which the user P puts his or her weight on the mat unit 11, thereby reducing the internal pressure of the air cell 15 while decompressing the air cell 15. obtains the pressure fluctuation time from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect.
In a state in which the weight of the user P is placed on the mat portion 11, the control portion 14 causes the air supply/exhaust portion 12 to supply air, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to the first internal pressure while pressurizing the air cell 15. to a second internal pressure different from the first internal pressure and higher than the first internal pressure. is also possible. At this time, it is preferable that the pump 17 continues to operate with a constant driving force.

(Second 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 change from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure. Not limited. It is possible to employ a form in which the control unit 14 acquires the time required for the air cell 15 to change from the first state to the second state as the control reference value.
For example, a displacement meter for detecting the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 (the surface in contact with the user) is provided as a detection means, and the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 changes from the first height (first state) to the second height. It is also possible to obtain the time required to reach the height of (second state) as the control reference value. Further, a flow meter (flow velocity meter) for detecting the flow rate (flow velocity) of the air supplied and exhausted from the air cell 15 is provided as detection means, and the flow rate of the air changes 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 a control reference value.
Furthermore, a load sensor for detecting the magnitude of the load applied to the air cell 15 is provided as detection means, and the time required for the load applied to the air cell 15 to change from the first load to the second load is obtained as a control reference value. is also possible.

(Third modification)
In the first embodiment, the first modified example, and the second modified example, the controller 14 positively changes the state of the air cell 15 in a state in which the weight of the user P is placed on the mat portion 11 in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect only.
For example, the control unit 14 can obtain the control reference value by utilizing the fact that the state of the air cell 15 changes when the user P shifts from a state where the user P is not on the mat unit 11 to a state where the user P is on it. is. In this case, it is preferable to eliminate the influence (noise) of the impact force (potential energy and velocity energy) independent of the load of the user P acting on the air cell 15 when the user P gets on. For this exclusion, for example, a method of excluding a certain period of time after the start of the state change (the time during which noise is present) from the measurement range, or a program for the amount of pure change when noise is present, which is determined in advance from experiments. It is conceivable to adopt a method of estimating by referring to them, or a method of removing noise by taking a sufficiently large number of samples to be averaged.

(Second embodiment)
Next, an air mattress device 30 according to a second embodiment of the invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted, and only the 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.

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

After the power of the air mattress device 30 is turned on, the user P lays down on the mat portion 11 and puts his or her weight on the mat portion 11, and then at least a part of the weight of the user P is deposited on the air cells 15 to apply a load. , the control unit 14 alternately inflates and deflates the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3, thereby changing the state of the air cells 15 .
Here, in the air mattress device 30, with the user P putting his/her weight on the mat portion 11, the control portion 14 controls the internal pressure of each air cell 15 of the execution group for air supply/exhaust to change from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure. The internal pressure fluctuation (state change amount of the air cell 15) in each air cell 15 of the maintenance group in which air supply/exhaust is not performed up to a second internal pressure different from the first internal pressure and lower than the first internal pressure is obtained and used as a control reference value. get. In this embodiment, the control unit 14 obtains internal pressure fluctuations while alternately inflating and deflating the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3 as described above.

That is, when inflating and deflating the air cells 15 of the first group G1 (execution group), the control unit 14 first sets the air cells 15 of the first group G1 to the first internal pressure of the second group G2 and the third group G2. The internal pressure of the air cells 15 of 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 while the first on-off valve 20a and the exhaust valve 18 are closed, so that the second group G2 and the third group G3 are The internal pressure of the air cell 15 can be measured by the internal pressure measuring section 13 . Next, the internal pressure of the first group G1 is reduced to 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 is measured. Ask. Similarly, when inflating and deflating the air cells 15 of the second group G2 (execution group), the control unit 14 obtains internal pressure fluctuations in each of the air cells 15 of the first group G1 and the third group G3 (maintenance group). When inflating and deflating the air cells 15 of the group G3 (execution group), internal pressure fluctuations in the air cells 15 of the first group G1 and the second group G2 (maintenance group) are obtained.

When the air cells 15 of the first group G1 (execution group) are inflated and contracted, the control unit 14 obtains internal pressure fluctuations in each of the air cells 15 of either the second group G2 or the third group G3 (maintenance group). is also possible. Similarly, when inflating and deflating the air cells 15 of the second group G2 (execution group), the internal pressure fluctuation in each air cell 15 of either the first group G1 or the third group G3 (maintenance group) is obtained, and the third group G3 When the air cells 15 of the (execution group) are inflated and deflated, it is also possible to obtain internal pressure fluctuations in each of the air cells 15 of either the first group G1 or the second group G2 (maintenance group).

In this way, when supplying and exhausting each air cell 15, the control unit 14 changes the combination of the execution groups G1 to G3 in which the supply and exhaust are performed and the maintenance groups G1 to G3 in which the supply and exhaust is not performed, and changes the internal pressure a plurality of times ( 3 times in the illustrated example).
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 this embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of each air cell 15 in the operating state based on internal pressure fluctuations obtained multiple times. Since the internal pressure fluctuation, 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 weight of the user P can be estimated by obtaining the internal pressure fluctuation. Therefore, by setting the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the used state based on the internal pressure fluctuation, it can be set according to the weight of the user P.

When the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the internal pressure fluctuation, for example, the control unit 14 firstly compares the internal pressure fluctuation with the internal pressure fluctuation and the load applied to the air cell 15 in advance. The weight of the user P is obtained by referring to the relationship. Based on the weight of the user P obtained in this manner, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the usage state. When internal pressure fluctuations are obtained a plurality of times as in the present embodiment, the weight of user P is calculated from each internal pressure fluctuation, and the average, median, and mode of these calculation results are used as representative values. The body weight of the user P can be determined.

(Modification of Second Embodiment)
In the present invention, in a state in which at least part of the weight of the user P is placed on the air cell 15, the control unit 14 changes the state of the air cell 15 while changing the state change amount of the air cell 15 as a control reference. It is possible to obtain it as a value and appropriately change to another form of controlling the air supply/exhaust unit 12 according to the control reference value.

(First modification)
In the second embodiment, the control unit 14 reduces the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the working groups from the first internal pressure to Although the internal pressure variation of the sustaining group is determined up to the second internal pressure, the invention is not limited to this aspect only.
While the user P puts his/her weight on the mat portion 11, the control unit 14 pressurizes the air cells 15 of the execution group while increasing the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the execution group from the first internal pressure to the first internal pressure. It is also possible to determine the internal pressure fluctuation of the maintenance group up to a second internal pressure higher than the first internal pressure, and set the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the operating state based on this internal pressure fluctuation. At this time, it is preferable that the pump 17 continues to operate with a constant driving force.

(Second modification)
In the first embodiment and the first modified example, the control unit 14 controls the internal pressure of each air cell 15 of the execution group from the first internal pressure to the second internal pressure in a state where the user P puts his/her weight on the mat portion 11 . 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 was obtained and acquired as a control reference value, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect. The control unit 14 actively changes the state of the air cell 15 while controlling the amount of state change of the air cell 15 to the control reference value. It is possible to adopt the form of acquiring as
For example, a sensor that detects the range of the air cell 15 to which the load is applied is provided as a detection means, and when the control unit 14 switches the range of the air cell 15 to which the load is applied from the first range to the second range, It is also possible to find the internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15 and acquire it as a control reference value. When a plurality of air cells 15 are provided, each of the air cells 15 is regarded as one unit of the air cells 15, and the range of the air cells 15 to which the load is applied can be detected based on the number of the air cells 15. . In this case, for example, in order to narrow the range of the air cells 15 to which the load is applied, a method of reducing the internal pressure of some of the air cells 15 by the air supply/exhaust unit 12 so as not to apply the load to the air cells 15 is adopted. be able to.
Further, 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 when 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 find the internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15 and acquire it as a control reference value. The shape of the mat portion 11 includes a flat shape that is a shape in a standard state, and various shapes in a back-raised state, a leg-raised state, and a rotation state. In the mat portion 11 in the back-raised state, the head side of the mat portion 11 is inclined upward from the waist corresponding to the waist of the user. The mat part 11 in the leg-raised state is bent from the waist part to the foot side so that the back of the knee corresponding to the user's knee in the mat part 11 projects upward. In the mat portion 11 in the rotation state, one side of the mat portion 11 in the left and right direction is protruded so that the user is half body on the mat portion 11 in the left and right direction.
Further, a sensor for detecting the position of the air cell 15 related to the tilt angle of the mat portion 11 is provided as a detection means, and the controller 14 switches the tilt angle of the mat portion 11 from the first tilt angle to the second tilt angle. It is also possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation in the air cell 15 and acquire it as a control reference value. Note that the mat portion 11 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane in the Trendenberg state (extended state) and the reverse Trendenberg state. The mat portion 11 in the Trendenberg state is inclined in the longitudinal direction of the mat portion 11 so that the head side of the mat portion 11 is lower than the foot side of the mat portion 11 . The mat portion 11 in the reverse trendenberg state is inclined in the longitudinal direction so that the foot side of the mat portion 11 is lower than the head side of the mat portion 11 .
Further, a sensor for detecting the height of the upper surface of the air cell 15 is provided as 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 find the internal pressure fluctuation at 15 and acquire it as a control reference value.

(Third modification)
In the first embodiment, the first modified example, and the second modified example, the control unit 14 acquires 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 some of the air cells 15 among the plurality of air cells 15 may be provided as detection means, and the load fluctuation acting on this load sensor may be obtained and acquired as the control reference value. .

(Third Embodiment)
Next, an air mattress device 40 according to a third embodiment of the invention will be described.
In the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted, and only the different points are 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.

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

After the power of the air mattress device 40 is turned on, the user P lays down on the mat portion 11 and puts his or her weight on the mat portion 11, and then at least a part of the weight of the user P is deposited on the air cells 15 to apply a load. , the control unit 14 alternately inflates and deflates the air cells 15 for each of the groups G1 to G3, thereby changing the state of the air cells 15 .

Here, in the air mattress device 40, the internal pressure fluctuation, which is the state change amount per unit time of the air cell 15, is acquired as a control reference value. In this embodiment, among the plurality of air cells 15, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time is obtained for the air cells 15 of the groups G1 to G3 that are inflated and deflated.
Note that the unit time can be arbitrarily set. Further, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time can be obtained multiple times when the air cells 15 of one group G1 to G3 are inflated and deflated. For example, immediately after starting to deflate the air cell 15, the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time is obtained. It is possible to obtain the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time immediately before finishing the operation. That is, as the internal pressure fluctuation of the air cell 15 per unit time, both the time of air supply and the time of air exhaust can be adopted. For example, with the start of air supply or exhaust to the air cell 15 as a trigger, the internal pressure fluctuation from the start time (first time) to the elapse of a predetermined unit time (second time) can be obtained.

The control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure fluctuations per unit time a plurality of times (three times in the illustrated example) by changing the combinations of the execution groups G1 to G3 in which air supply/exhaust is performed and the maintenance groups G1 to G3 in which air supply/exhaust is not performed.
Then, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the operating state based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time. In this embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of each air cell 15 in the operating state based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time obtained multiple 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, by obtaining the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time, 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 the internal pressure based on the internal pressure fluctuation per unit time.

When the control unit 14 obtains the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the use state based on the internal pressure change per unit time, for example, the control unit 14 first calculates the internal pressure change per unit time by comparing the internal pressure change per unit time with the air cell. The weight of the user P is obtained by comparing with the corresponding relationship obtained in advance with respect to the load applied to 15 . Based on the weight of the user P obtained in this manner, the control unit 14 sets the internal pressure of the air cell 15 in the usage state.

(Modified example of the third embodiment)
In the present invention, the control unit 14 acquires the state change amount of the air cell 15 per unit time as a control reference value, and the air supply/exhaust unit 12 is controlled according to the control reference value. is.

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

(Second modification)
In the third embodiment and the first modification, the control unit 14 positively changes the state of the air cells 15 in a state in which the user P puts his or her weight on the mat unit 11 in advance, thereby acquiring the control reference value. However, the present invention is not limited only to this aspect. For example, the control unit 14 can obtain the control reference value by utilizing the fact that the state of the air cell 15 changes when the user P shifts from a state where the user P is not on the mat unit 11 to a state where the user P is on it. is.

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

In the above embodiment, the control reference value is obtained in accordance with the alternate expansion and contraction of the air cells 15, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to acquire the control reference value and set the internal pressure of the air cell 15 when a human operates (such as pressing an automatic weight setting button at the timing at which the internal pressure of the air cell 15 is desired to be set).
A plurality of air cells 15 can be arranged corresponding to the head, shoulders, buttocks, thighs, knees, and heels of the user P lying on the mat 11 . In this case, by adjusting the internal pressure of the air cells 15 according to each part of the body, for example, by making the internal pressure of the air cells 15 for the back and thighs larger than the internal pressure of the air cells 15 for the buttocks, body pressure dispersion is further effective. can be planned effectively.
Moreover, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which only one air cell 15 is provided as the mat portion 11 .

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 14 controls the air supply/exhaust unit 12 according to the acquired control reference value. Based on the acquired control reference value, the weight of the user is estimated and used like a weight scale. is also possible. In this case, the weight of the user is input separately, and by comparing the input weight and the estimated weight, it can be used as a failure detection function. Further, when the user's weight is estimated to be 0, it can also be used as a bed-leaving sensor that determines that the user is not on the bed. In this case, it is possible to enter a power saving mode in which the alternate expansion and contraction by the control unit 14 is stopped. Further, for example, the control unit 14 can start controlling the internal pressure of the air cell 15 after determining that the user is in the vehicle by using the function as a bed leaving sensor. 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 (that the air cell 15 is loaded). be.

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

In the above-described embodiment, the air mattress device 10 having air cells 15 for supplying and exhausting air is illustrated, but it is also applicable to a fluid mattress device having fluid cells containing fluid, such as a so-called water bed.

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

Next, verification tests conducted to verify the effects of the present invention will be described.

As verification tests, five verification tests from the first verification test to the fifth verification test were carried out.
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 to pressurize the air cell 15 was verified.
In the fifth verification test, pressure fluctuations in the maintenance group when the air cells 15 in the working group were exhausted were verified.

In the first verification test, a base plate having a human body shape in plan view was placed on the mat portion 11 of the air mattress devices 10 and 30 shown in FIG. 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 cells 15 of the first group G1 was reduced, and the relationship between the internal pressure of the air cells 15 and time was measured.

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

In the second verification test, instead of the air mattress device 10 shown in FIG. 1, a one-chamber cell was adopted as the air cell. A load was applied to this air cell using a pressure standard specified 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 (minutes:seconds), and the vertical axis indicates the internal pressure (kPa) of the air cell. A graph line L21 in the graph indicates the case of the load of 7 kg, a graph line L22 indicates the case of the load of 17 kg, and a graph line L23 indicates the case of the load of 28 kg.
As shown in FIG. 10, it was confirmed that the higher the load acting on the air cell, the longer it took for the internal pressure of the air cell to decrease.

In the third verification test, after preparing the same test environment as in the first verification test, the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the first group G1 was increased, and the relationship between the internal pressure of the air cells 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 (minutes:seconds). The item names on the vertical axis shown in FIG. 11 and the symbols indicating the graph lines are all common to those in the graph of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, it was confirmed that the higher the load acting on the air cell 15, the longer it took for the internal pressure of the air cell 15 to rise.

In the fourth verification test, the same test environment as in the second verification test was prepared, the internal pressure of the air cell was increased, 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 (minutes:seconds). The item names on the vertical axis shown in FIG. 12 and the symbols indicating the graph lines are all common to those in the graph of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, it was confirmed that the higher the load acting on the air cell, the longer it took for the internal pressure of the air cell to rise.

In the fifth verification test, after preparing the same test environment as in the first verification test, the internal pressure of the air cells 15 of the first group G1 (implementation group) was changed from about 1.9 kPa (first internal pressure) to 0.6 kPa. (second internal pressure), and the internal pressures of the air cells 15 of the second group G2 and the third group G3 (maintenance group) at this time were measured.
Table 1 shows the results.

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

10, 30, 40 Air mattress device 11 Mat unit 12 Air supply/exhaust unit 13 Internal pressure measurement unit 14 Control unit 15 Air cell P User

Claims (4)

The weight of the user is estimated based on a change from a first state in which the user is not on the air cell to a second state in which the user is on the air cell, and the internal pressure of the air cell is set according to the weight. A method for controlling the internal pressure of an air cell,
An air cell internal pressure control method for estimating the weight of the user without using information acquired during a predetermined period after the start of the change. estimating the weight of the user during the evacuation;
2. The method of controlling the internal pressure of an air cell according to claim 1, wherein the internal pressure of the air cell to which the air is supplied is adjusted according to the weight of the user. 3. The air cell internal pressure control method according to claim 1, wherein the state change time from the first state to the second state is obtained, and the weight of the user is estimated based on the state change time. A plurality of the air cells are provided,
2. After the predetermined period of time has passed since the state changed to the second state, part of the air cell is exhausted, and then air is supplied to the exhausted air cell, and the internal pressure of the air cell is set according to the body weight. 3. The method for controlling the internal pressure of the air cell according to 2.

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