JP4026147B2 - Elasticity degradation measuring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an elastic body deterioration degree measuring apparatus that objectively measures the degree of deterioration of an elastic body such as a mattress that gradually deteriorates with use.

  Because mattresses used in hospitals and nursing homes are frequently used, there is a problem that the elasticity tends to deteriorate, and once a mattress is deteriorated, it causes pain and pressure ulcers to the user, so the elasticity is constant. It is desirable to replace the mattress with a new one when it has deteriorated to the value of. However, there is no conventional method for measuring the degree of deterioration of the mattress, and a method for measuring the hardness is defined by the JIS standard. The measuring machine used in this hardness measuring method is generally composed of a pressure plate moving at a constant speed in the vertical direction and a fixed support plate. Then, the thickness when the test body is compressed with a constant pressure between the support plate and the pressure plate with this measuring machine is the initial thickness, and once the load is released, the test body is first thickened with the pressure plate. Then, the load is released immediately and then re-pressurized, and the load when a predetermined time elapses after resting is used as the hardness of the specimen.

  However, since the above-described hardness measurement method requires that the mattress as a test specimen be taken to a predetermined size, the mattress that is currently in use cannot be measured, and the measuring machine has a size and weight. For this reason, there is a drawback that it cannot be used in hospitals and nursing homes, and because it requires time and skill to measure, the hardness of the mattress cannot be easily measured, which is not a method that can be used in individual hospitals or nursing homes. For this reason, the present situation is that the degree of deterioration is determined based on experience and intuition in consideration of the years of use, and there is a problem that a mattress having a stable quality cannot be supplied due to lack of objectivity.

Therefore, the applicant of the present invention previously proposed an apparatus for measuring the degree of deterioration of an elastic body, which can easily and objectively measure the degree of deterioration of an elastic body by simply placing it on an elastic body such as a mattress, based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-129518. did.
JP2003-322608A

The degradation degree measurement device, easy deterioration of the elastic body, and is excellent in that it can be measured objectively, the elastic force transmitting member 14 is reached transfer the spring force to the pressure sensor reference plate Since the structure always protrudes downward from 1, there is a risk of being damaged during transportation, and there are unsolved problems such as troublesome storage.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described unsolved problems of the prior art, and the degree of deterioration of various elastic bodies such as mattresses, sofas, and seat surfaces of chairs can be measured with a simple operation even during use. and projects are also excellent in reliability can be objectively measured anyone because the measurement work skill is not required, yet the elastic force to the pressure sensor from the housing only at the time of measurement the examiner indenter is reached Den, It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for measuring a degree of deterioration of an elastic body that is not damaged in equipment because it is immersed in a housing when not in use, and has a sense of security when in use.

The means of the present invention configured to solve the above-described problems has a housing having an opening that opens to the elastic body contact surface on the lower surface, and an interior that is a housing portion, and is rotatable to the housing. a handle handle provided, having a search indenter tip surface in the elastic member is a pressure sensor and the measured object comes into contact, wherein such retractable into the elastic body striking face該検indenter from the opening A pressure sensor unit provided in the housing; a retracting mechanism provided in the housing for raising and lowering the pressure sensor unit by a turning operation of the handle; and a deterioration degree display unit provided on an upper side of the housing; provided within said housing, said converts the detection signal from the pressure sensor is composed of the measurement determination section for displaying the elasticity of the elastic member to the deterioration degree display section, the retractable mechanism the possession hand When the state of beat, when said analyzing indenter is held in a state projecting downward from the elastic member abutting surface, a state that caused, which is該検indenter was configured to immersion in the elastic member abutting surface Consists of.

The housing may also serve as a weight.

  The measurement determination unit may have a function of printing out the measurement result on a recording sheet by a printer.

  Moreover, it is good to set it as the structure which provides a spirit level in the said housing or a handle handle.

Since this invention consists of the above-mentioned structure, there exist the following various effects.
(1) The degree of deterioration of various elastic bodies such as mattresses, sofas, and chair seats can be measured by simply placing the device on them without collecting test pieces.
(2) The degree of deterioration of the elastic body can be objectively measured simply by placing the housing on the elastic body that is the object to be measured. Therefore, unlike the conventional case where judgment is made based on experience and intuition, a stable quality elastic body such as a mattress can be supplied.
(3) Since skill is not required for the measurement work of the elastic body, it can be easily measured by the staff of the elastic body as well as the staff of the elastic body.
(4) The pressure sensor required for accurate measurement is immersed in the housing when the handle is raised for movement and transportation, and protrudes from the housing when the handle is tilted for measurement. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent accidents of the pressure probe from being moved or transported in the state where the pressure gauge protrudes , maintain its performance for a long time, and the user can use it with peace of mind. Convenient for storage.
(5) When the handle handle provided rotatably on the housing is brought down , the pressure gauge is held in a state of projecting downward from the elastic body contact surface, and the elasticity of the elastic body is measured in this state. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to touch the device during measurement, and accurate measurement is possible. Also, since the handle is in a tilted state during measurement, it does not hinder measurement and is excellent in handling.
(6) Since the housing also serves as a weight, the housing can be placed with good stability against the elasticity of the elastic body, so that the degree of deterioration can be measured more accurately.
(7) Since it is small and lightweight, it is excellent in portability and there is no burden during measurement work.
(8) Since the measurement result can be printed out on the recording paper, the quality control of the elastic body can be easily and objectively performed based on the periodic measurement record.
(9) By providing a level on the housing or handle, the pressure gauge can be pressed vertically against the elastic body, so that more accurate measurement can be performed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a housing having a substantially disk shape. Reference numeral 2 denotes a metal base that constitutes the housing 1 and is formed thick so as to serve as a weight. The base 2 has a flat bottom surface, which is an elastic body contact surface 2A that is a reference surface for measurement by contacting an elastic body as an object to be measured, for example, a mattress A, at the center. A circular opening 2B that opens in a direction perpendicular to the base 2 is formed. The elastic body contact surface 2A is coaxial with the opening 2B, the pressure receiving plate storage 2C is provided on the inner surface, and the spring storage 2D is provided on the inner surface. Are recessed.

  In this embodiment, the diameter of the base 2 is set to about 160 mm, so that the base 2 is brought into contact with the mattress A in a planar shape so that the housing 1 is not inclined. In addition, by providing the base 2 with a weight, it is not necessary for the measurer to press the housing 1 against the mattress A during measurement, and the measurement can be performed simply by placing the apparatus on the mattress A. It enables reliable measurement that is consistent with anyone.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an upper case that constitutes the housing 1 having the housing portion 1 </ b> A inside by fitting with the base 2. Upper case 3 and the top portion 3A of the display window 3A ₁ is opened, the molded in a downward container shape and a body portion 3B extending downward from an outer edge of the top surface portion 3A, the front on edge of the top surface portion 3A An approximately U-shaped handle storage recess 3C for storing a handle 6 to be described later is provided from the base portion 3B to the body portion 3B, and is connected to the inner surface of the top surface portion 3A by a set screw 4 from the base 2 side. Connecting legs 3D and 3D are provided to project. Reference numeral 5 denotes a battery storage portion provided by forming a semi-cylindrical recess in the top surface portion 3A, and the battery storage portion 5 can be covered with a lid 5A.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes an inverted U-shaped handle that is provided on the upper case 3 so as to be rotatable. The handle 6 is pivotally supported on a support shaft 7 that is installed in the lateral direction on the upper case 3 and is moved. Sometimes it stands upright and is tilted so that it does not become an obstacle during measurement, and is inserted into the handle housing recess 3C.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a pressure sensor unit provided in the housing 1. The pressure sensor unit 8 is provided on a holder 9, an upper portion in the holder 9, a load cell 10 as a pressure sensor for measuring a degree of elasticity deterioration of the mattress A, that is, a so-called sag degree, and a position below the load cell 10. A sensing rod 11A is inserted into the holder 9 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and is composed of a pressure sensor 11 provided with a pressure receiving plate 11B at the lower end. The pressure sensor unit 8 is disposed in the spring accommodating portion 2D of the base 2, and the sensing rod 11A of the pressure sensor 11 is inserted through the opening 2B, so that the pressure receiving plate 11B is elastic body contact surface 2A. In the present embodiment, the pressure receiving plate 11B protrudes from the elastic body contact surface 2A by about 14 mm.

  Reference numeral 12 denotes an intrusion mechanism for moving the pressure sensor unit 8 up and down to cause the pressure receiving plate 11B of the pressure sensor 11 to incline into and out of the base 2. The intrusion mechanism 12 includes a cam 12A fixed to the support shaft 7 of the handle 6; The spring accommodating portion 2D is constituted by a return spring 12C formed of a compression spring stretched between the holder 9 and a spring seat 12B.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the handle 6 is tilted against the spring force of the return spring 12C, the cam 12A pushes down the holder 9 so that the pressure sensor 11 moves away from the elastic body contact surface 2A. In a fixed amount, in this embodiment, it protrudes by about 14 mm. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the handle handle 6 is raised, the cam 12 </ b> A that has pushed down the holder 9 rotates to raise the holder 9 by the spring force of the return spring 12 </ b> C. The pressure receiving plate 11 </ b> C is fitted into the pressure receiving plate storage portion 2 </ b> C of the base 2.

  FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the measurement determination unit 13 of the present embodiment. The measurement determination unit 13 includes a load converter 14 that converts a distortion signal of the load cell 10, an amplifier 15, an A / D converter 16 that converts a measurement signal amplified by the amplifier 15 into a digital signal, and the A / D conversion. And a microcomputer 17 having a determination function for determining the degree of deterioration based on a digital signal converted by the device 16, a display function, and a print function. These electronic components are mounted on a PC board 18 provided in the housing 1. is there.

19 in the liquid crystal display device as the deterioration level display portion provided to face the display window 3A ₁ in top portion 3A of the housing 1, the liquid crystal display unit 19 a determination result of the elastic force of the mattress A of the microcomputer 17 determines Is displayed numerically. In addition, the top surface portion 3A has an evaluation determination portion 20 for displaying a determination of “pass, warning, bad” by components electrically connected to the measurement determination portion 13, such as light emitting diodes 20A, 20B, 20C of different colors, and a power switch 21, a measurement start / release button 22, for example, a mode setting button 23, a printer button 24, and a printer connector 25 are provided for resetting to zero at the start of measurement or obtaining an average value by measuring a plurality of locations. . The printer connector 25 is connected to a printer 26 that prints out the determination result on recording paper as desired. An AC power jack (not shown) is provided on the side surface of the housing 1.

  The elastic body deterioration degree measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration. For example, when measuring the deterioration degree of the mattress A, the housing 1 is placed on the flat surface of the mattress A. The pressure sensor 11 sunk into the mattress A is pushed up by the elastic force, and the distortion signal of the load cell 10 generated by applying pressure to the load cell 10 is subjected to determination processing by the measurement determination unit 13, and the liquid crystal display unit 19 is subjected to the mattress A Is displayed as a numerical value in Newton units. In addition, the standard value of the degree of deterioration is stored in the memory function, the measurement value is compared with the reference value, and the determination result is displayed on the evaluation determination unit 20 by the method of “pass, warning, defective”. Thereby, the measurer can objectively determine the degree of deterioration of the mattress A without depending on experience or intuition.

Further, since the elastic body contact surface 2A of the housing 1 that contacts the upper surface of the mattress A in a planar shape has a large contact area, the mattress A ₁ , A ₂ ,. The measuring device can be mounted stably. Further, in the present measuring apparatus, the housing 1 is supported on the mattress A in a state where the reaction forces of the various mattresses A against the own weight are balanced, and works on the pressure detector 11 with the elastic body contact surface 2A at this position as a reference surface. Since the resilience of the mattress A is measured, it is possible to objectively measure the degree of deterioration of various mattresses A that are inherently different in elasticity.

  In order to measure accurately, it is necessary to press the pressure gauge 11 perpendicularly to the mattress A. Since the elastic body contact surface 2A of the housing 1 is formed as a flat surface, the elastic body contact surface 2A is in contact with the mattress A evenly, so that the pressure sensor 11 is in a substantially vertical state. For this purpose, the top surface 3A of the housing 1 or the handle 6 may be provided with a level that allows the front, rear, left, and right inclinations of the housing 1 to be visually observed, so that the vertical state is accurate.

  In this embodiment, the retracting mechanism 12 is operated by rotating the handle handle 6 to move the pressure sensor unit 8 up and down. However, the mechanism is independent of the operation of the handle handle 6. The pressure sensor unit 8 may be moved up and down.

It is a front view of the degradation measuring apparatus of the elastic body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the deterioration measuring apparatus of an elastic body. It is a side view of the deterioration measuring apparatus of an elastic body. It is a side view of the deterioration measuring apparatus of the elastic body shown in a state where the handle is raised and the pressure probe is immersed. It is sectional drawing of the deterioration measuring apparatus of the elastic body shown in the state which fell down the handle and protruded the pressure gauge. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the degradation measuring device of an elastic body shown in the state where a handle was raised and an indenter was immersed. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a measurement determination part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 1A Accommodating part 2A Elastic body contact surface 2B Opening part 6 Handle handle 8 Pressure sensor unit 10 Load cell (pressure sensor)
11 Pressure Sensor 12 Intrusion Mechanism 13 Measurement Judgment Unit 19
26 Printer A Mattress (elastic body)

Claims (4)

A housing having an opening that opens to the elastic body contact surface on the lower surface, the inside of which is an accommodating portion, a handle that is rotatably provided in the housing, a pressure sensor, and an elastic body that is an object to be measured A pressure sensor unit provided in the housing, the pressure sensor unit provided in the housing so that the pressure sensor can be projected and retracted from the opening to the elastic body contact surface, A retracting mechanism that raises and lowers the pressure sensor unit by rotating the handle, a deterioration level indicator provided on the upper side of the housing, and a detection signal from the pressure sensor provided in the housing. the degradation wherein the degree display section to display the elasticity of the elastic member is composed of a measurement determination section, when the retractable mechanism is in a state tilted the possession handle, said analyzing indenter the elastic body contact surface and Is held in a state of projecting downward, when the state that caused the deterioration degree measurement device of the elastic body you characterized in that該検indenter are a configuration that retracts the elastic body contact surface. 2. The apparatus for measuring a degree of deterioration of an elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the housing also serves as a weight. The apparatus for measuring a degree of deterioration of an elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the measurement determination unit has a function of printing out a measurement result on a recording sheet by a printer.   2. The elastic body deterioration degree measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a level is provided on the housing or the handle.

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