JP6943216B2 - Air bag air supply / exhaust device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air bag air supply / exhaust device that supplies / exhausts air to an air bag equipped in a massage device or the like.

In some automobiles, a massage device has been developed in which a plurality of air bags installed in a seat are sequentially supplied and exhausted via a distributor to massage the body of a seated occupant (see Patent Document 1). In the massage device, when the air supply / exhaust operation to the air bag is stopped, the air pressure in the air bag is set to the atmospheric pressure state. That is, the air bag is in a state where no air pressure is applied. Therefore, when the air supply / exhaust operation to the air bag is stopped, the distributor is kept rotating until the air opening port is connected to the air bag. In order to realize this, the distributor is provided with a limit switch for position detection.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-77569

However, the configuration of the device is complicated by the amount of the position detection limit switch.

An object of the present invention is that in an air bag air supply / exhaust device, when the air bag air supply / exhaust operation is stopped, the distributor continues to operate for a time until the air bag reaches a position where it communicates with atmospheric pressure. There is. This eliminates the need for a position detection limit switch and simplifies the configuration of the device.

The first invention of the present invention is an air bag air supply / exhaust device that distributes air pressure from a pump to a plurality of air bags by a distributor to supply / exhaust air. The distributor is configured to sequentially supply the air pressure from the pump to each of the air bags, and supply atmospheric pressure to the air bag that has finished supplying air to exhaust the air bag. A control circuit is provided which operates the pump and the distributor together during the supply / exhaust operation, stops the operation of the pump when the supply / exhaust operation of the air bag is stopped, and stops the distributor after a predetermined time. The predetermined time is set longer than the time during which the operating distributor switches from a state of supplying air to one of the air bags to a state of exhausting air.

According to the first invention, when the air supply / exhaust operation to the air bag is stopped, the operation of the distributor is continued for a time until the position where the atmospheric pressure is supplied to the air bag is reached. Therefore, the air supply / exhaust operation to the air bag is stopped after the air bag is operated to a position where the atmospheric pressure is communicated. As described above, the function of operating the distributor until the position where the atmospheric pressure is communicated with the air bag can be achieved without the limit switch for position detection of the distributor, and the configuration of the device can be simplified.

In the second aspect of the present invention, in the first invention, the pump is configured to be operated by a motor, and the distributor is configured to include a rotary valve operated by a motor. Further, in the control circuit, the pump circuit in which the pump motor is connected to the power supply via the series circuit of the power supply switch and the drive switch of the pump, and the rotary valve motor are connected in series with the delay circuit. The series circuit includes a valve circuit connected in parallel to the motor of the pump in the pump circuit. Further, the delay circuit is configured to generate an output current without delay when the supply of the input current is started, and to stop the output current with a delay of a predetermined time when the supply of the input current is stopped.

According to the second invention, when both the power switch and the drive switch of the pump are turned on, the pump and the rotary valve are operated at the same time, and the air pressure generated by the pump is sequentially distributed to each air bag via the rotary valve. Can be done. On the other hand, when at least one of the power switch and the drive switch of the pump is turned off, the pump is immediately stopped, and the rotary valve continues to operate for a predetermined time by the delay circuit. Therefore, the rotary valve is operated until all of the air bags are supplied with atmospheric pressure, and then stopped. Therefore, no matter when at least one of the power switch and the drive switch of the pump is turned off, the function of operating the rotary valve until each air bag is exhausted is achieved without the position detection limit switch. The configuration of the device can be simplified.

In the third invention of the present invention, in the second invention, the rotary valve is a valve housing having a number of air passages for bags corresponding to the number of air bags to which air pressure from the pump is distributed, and the rotary valve. It is provided with a valve body that is rotationally driven by a valve motor, rotates relative to the valve housing, and sequentially distributes air pressure from the pump to each of the ventilation passages once for each rotation. The rotary valve motor is configured so that the rotation speed can be changed so that the time required for one rotation of the valve body is proportional to the number of the bag ventilation passages. The predetermined time is set to a fixed time regardless of the number of the ventilation passages.

According to the third invention, the time for one rotation of the valve body of the rotary valve is defined as the time proportional to the number of air passages for bags. Therefore, regardless of the number of air passages for bags, even if the predetermined time by the delay circuit is set to a certain time, it is longer than the time when the operating rotary valve switches from the state of supplying air to one of the air bags to the state of exhausting. can do. Therefore, if it is easy to adjust the rotation speed of the rotary valve motor, and it is not easy to adjust the predetermined time of the delay circuit, then after stopping the pump, the operating rotary valve is one of the air bags. On the other hand, it is possible to easily adjust the timing of switching from the air supply state to the exhaust state according to the number of the bag ventilation passages.

In the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, in the valve housing, the air passages for each bag communicated with the plurality of air bags are arranged at equal intervals along one virtual circumference. A pump air passage communicating with the pump is arranged at the center of the circle. Further, the valve body is configured to rotate around the pump air passage so as to face the bag air passage and the pump air passage of the valve housing, and the pump air passage. For the air supply chamber, which is always communicated with the air supply chamber and at most one of the air passages for each bag according to the rotation angle, and for the bag which is communicated with the air supply chamber according to the rotation angle. It is provided with an exhaust chamber that communicates with all the bag ventilation passages other than the ventilation passage and is open to the atmosphere. The rotation angle range occupied by the air supply chamber in the total rotation angle range of the valve body is reduced as the number of bag ventilation passages increases.

According to the fourth invention, the time for one rotation of the valve body of the rotary valve is set to be the time proportional to the number of the air passages for the bag, and the rotation speed of the valve body is slowed down according to the number of the air passages for the bag. Therefore, the rotation angle range of the air supply chamber of the valve body is reduced and the rotation angle range of the exhaust chamber is increased according to the number of air passages for the bag. Therefore, as the number of bag vents increases, the rotation angle range of the exhaust chamber becomes larger, and as the number of bag vents increases, the portion of the valve housing where the bag vents are formed facing the exhaust chamber. The area is also large, and the formation of the air passage for the bag can be facilitated.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the air bag is provided on the seating seat and is sequentially supplied and exhausted to massage the seated person. The distributor is a rotary valve that sequentially supplies and exhausts air to and from each of the air bags, and the predetermined time is set longer than the time for supplying air to one of the air bags via the operating rotary valve. Has been done.

According to the fifth invention, in the massage device using the rotary valve, when the massage device is stopped, the rotary valve does not supply air to the air bag and is stopped after being operated until it is in a state of exhausting. The function of operating the rotary valve until the air bag is exhausted can be achieved without the position detection limit switch, and the configuration of the device can be simplified.

It is external perspective view of the massage apparatus to which 1st Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is an external perspective view of the rotary valve in the said embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of the said rotary valve. It is a bottom view of the valve housing in the rotary valve. It is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. It is a top view of the valve body in the said rotary valve. It is a control circuit diagram of the said massage apparatus. It is a time chart for demonstrating the operation of the said control circuit. It is the same time chart as in FIG. 8, and shows an operating state different from that in FIG. It is a top view of the valve body in the rotary valve of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the valve body in the rotary valve of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

<Overall configuration of the first embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an automobile seat (corresponding to a seating seat of the present invention; hereinafter simply referred to as a seat) 1 provided with a massage device 4, wherein the massage device 4 is an air bag air supply / exhaust device according to the present invention. I have.

The seat 1 includes a seat back 2 forming a backrest and a seat cushion 3 forming a seat, and a plurality of bladder (corresponding to the air bag of the present invention) 63 are arranged along the seating surface of the seat back 2. Become. In this case, two bladder 63s are provided on the board 61 fixed in the seat back 2, two in the horizontal direction and three in the vertical direction, for a total of six bladder 63s. Then, two pieces in the lateral direction are supplied and exhausted as a set, and for example, air is supplied and exhausted to each bladder 63 sequentially from the lower side to the upper side of the seat back 2, and the body of the occupant is massaged. There is. Hereinafter, the massage device 4 is referred to as a 3-channel massage device because it includes three sets of bladder 63. Here, the massage device 4 is provided only on the seat back 2, but a similar massage device 4 may be provided on the seat cushion 3.

FIG. 7 shows a control circuit of the massage device 4. The control circuit is a pump circuit in which the motor 11 of the pump 10 is connected to the power supply via a series circuit of the ignition switch (corresponding to the power switch of the present invention) 51 and the massage switch (corresponding to the drive switch of the pump of the present invention). 54 is provided. Further, the motor 30 of the rotary valve (corresponding to the distributor of the present invention) 20 is connected in series with the delay circuit 53, and the series circuit includes a valve circuit 55 connected in parallel to the motor 11 of the pump circuit 54. ..

The pump 10 is actuated to generate air pressure to supply each bladder 63. Further, when the rotary valve 20 is operated, the valve 40 is rotated and the air pressure from the pump 10 is distributed to each bladder 63. The rotary valve 20 is connected to each bladder 63 via the pipe 62 shown in FIG. Therefore, when the pump 10 and the rotary valve 20 are operated, the air pressure generated by the pump 10 is sequentially distributed to each bladder 63 via the rotary valve 20.

When both the ignition switch 51 and the massage switch 52 are turned from off to on, the delay circuit 52 supplies a current to the motor 30 of the rotary valve 20 without a time delay, and at least one of the ignition switch 51 and the massage switch 52. When one of them is turned from on to off, the current supply to the motor 30 of the rotary valve 20 is cut off with a delay of a predetermined time. A constant voltage power supply (+ B) is supplied to the delay circuit 52. The control circuit including the delay circuit 52 may be configured by an analog circuit or may be configured by software of a microcomputer. Here, the entire control circuit is composed of analog circuits, but the motor 30 is a motor with rotational speed control.

<Structure of rotary valve 20>
2 to 6 show the rotary valve 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotary valve 20 is roughly divided into three parts, and is composed of a motor assembly 31, a valve body 41, and a valve housing 42. Although the internal configuration of the motor assembly 31 is not shown here, the motor, the speed reducer, and the output shaft 32 are housed in one casing. Further, the valve body 41 is rotated by connecting the rotation shaft 41e to the output shaft 32 of the motor assembly 31. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the valve housing 42 is configured to receive the upper surface of the valve body 41 in the circular recess 42g formed on the lower surface.

Four pipes 42a and 42b are integrally molded on the opposite side surface of the concave portion 42g of the valve housing 42. Of the four pipes, one pipe 42a has a pump air passage 42e communicating with the center of a circular recess 42g. In the other three pipes 42b, the ventilation passages 42f for each bag are communicated at equal intervals on a virtual concentric circle 42h centered on the ventilation passage 42e for the pump having a recess 42g. The tip 42c of the pipe 42a communicates with the pump 10. Further, each tip portion 42d of each pipe 42b communicates with each bladder 63.

The upper surface of the valve body 41 is divided into three regions by a vertical wall. One region can communicate with the pump ventilation passage 42e of the pipe 42a and the bag ventilation passage 42f of the three pipes 42b in a state where the valve body 41 is received in the recess 42g of the valve housing 42. It is located and forms an air supply chamber 41a. The air supply chamber 41a is always in communication with the pump ventilation passage 42e, and is sequentially communicated with each bag ventilation passage 42f according to the rotation of the valve body 41. That is, the air supply chamber 41a has a fan shape that extends from the center of the upper surface of the valve body 41 to the outer peripheral side.

The other region is arranged so as to surround the air supply chamber 41a and forms a groove 41c. Yet another region is a portion other than the air supply chamber 41a and the groove 41c, and forms the exhaust chamber 41b. An O-ring 41d is fitted in the groove 41c, and the valve body 41 is received in the recess 42g of the valve housing 42, and the space between the air supply chamber 41a and the exhaust chamber 41b is sealed in an airtight state. doing. In FIG. 6, the hatched area shows a sealed area. The areas of the air supply chamber 41a and the exhaust chamber 41b are set so that a plurality of bag ventilation passages 42f do not communicate with the air supply chamber 41a at the same time regardless of the rotation position of the valve body 41. In FIG. 6, the fan-shaped spreading angle forming the seal region at the rotation angle of the valve body 41 is set to X °. The exhaust chamber 41b communicates with the atmosphere through a gap with the valve housing 42 even when the valve body 41 is received in the recess 42g of the valve housing 42.

<Operation of the first embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 8, when the ignition switch 51, which is a power switch, is turned on from off at time t1, and the massage switch 52 is turned on from off at time t2, the motor 11 for pump 10 is operated. Further, the motor 30 for the rotary valve 20 is also operated via the delay circuit 52. At this time, the delay circuit 52 immediately operates the rotary valve 20 motor 30 without any time delay.

When the pump 10 and the rotary valve 20 are operated in this way, the air pressure from the pump 10 is supplied to the air supply chamber 41a via the pipe 42a of the rotary valve 20. Then, the bag ventilation passage 42f of each pipe 42b is sequentially communicated with the air supply chamber 41a according to the rotation of the valve body 41. The air pressure in the air supply chamber 41a is supplied to the bag ventilation passage 42f communicating with the air supply chamber 41a, and the air pressure is supplied to each bladder 63 via each pipe 42b. On the other hand, when the bag ventilation passage 42f of each pipe 42b is communicated with the exhaust chamber 41b in accordance with the rotation of the valve body 41, the bladder 63 communicated with the pipe 42b is exhausted. Therefore, each bladder 63 is sequentially supplied and exhausted, and a massage operation is performed.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the massage switch 52 is turned from on to off at time t3, the operation of the pump 10 motor 11 is stopped. On the other hand, the motor 30 for the rotary valve 20 is delayed by a predetermined time T due to the function of the delay circuit 52, and is stopped at the time t4. The predetermined time T is 60X / 360Y or more when the rotation speed of the rotary valve 20 is Y (rpm) and the angle of the air supply chamber 41a at the rotation angle of the valve body 41 is X (°). That is, during this predetermined time T, the bag ventilation passage 42f of each pipe 42b, which is in a state of entering the air supply chamber 41a and receiving the air pressure of the pump 10 while the valve body 41 is rotating, communicates with the exhaust chamber 41b. It is said that it is more than the maximum time for the state to be performed.

Therefore, when the massage switch 52 is turned from on to off while the air pressure from the pump 10 is being supplied to one bladder 63 through the air supply chamber 41a, the pump 10 is immediately stopped. The supply of air pressure to each bladder 63 is stopped. Moreover, the rotation of the rotary valve 20 is continued, and the pipe corresponding to the bladder 63 that has been supplied with air is moved from the air supply chamber 41a to the exhaust chamber 41b. Therefore, the massage device 4 is stopped in the state where all the bladder 63 is exhausted.

As shown in FIG. 8, at time t5, the ignition switch 51 is turned from on to off. As shown in FIG. 9, if the ignition switch 51 is turned from on to off before the massage switch 52 is turned from on to off, the operation of the pump 10 motor 11 is also stopped and predetermined. After time T, the operation of the rotary valve motor 30 is stopped.

<Effect of the first embodiment>
According to the above embodiment, when the operation of the massage device 4 is stopped, each bladder 63 is in an exhausted state. Therefore, the rotary valve 20 is not stopped immediately, and the ignition switch 51 or the massage switch 52 is supplied when the ignition switch 51 or the massage switch 52 is turned off. The delay circuit 52 controls the rotation of the rotary valve 20 until the pipe corresponding to the air bladder 63 reaches the position where it communicates with the exhaust chamber 41b by the time delay function. Therefore, it is not necessary to detect the rotational position of the rotary valve 20 as in the conventional case, and the position detection limit switch can be eliminated. Therefore, the configuration of the massage device 4 can be simplified.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 10 shows a valve body 141 in the valve 140 of the second embodiment of the present invention. The feature of this valve body 141 with respect to the valve body 41 of the first embodiment is that it is intended to be applied to a 4-channel massage device including four sets of bladder 63. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the bag ventilation passages 42f provided in the valve housing 42 are three on the virtual concentric circle 42h, whereas in the valve body 141 of the second embodiment, the bag ventilation passages 42f are four. It is said to be an individual. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment in the second embodiment, and the same parts are designated by adding "100" to the reference numerals in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted again.

Assuming that the predetermined time T of the delay circuit 53 in the second embodiment is the same as the predetermined time T in the first embodiment, the number of channels is changed from "3" to "4" in the second embodiment with respect to the first embodiment. With the increase, the rotation speed Y of the rotary valve 20 becomes 4/3 times that of the first embodiment, and the angle X of the air supply chamber 41a becomes 3/4 times.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 11 shows a valve body 241 in the valve 240 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The feature of the valve body 241 with respect to the valve body 41 of the first embodiment is that it is applied to a 5-channel massage device including 5 sets of bladder 63. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the bag ventilation passages 42f provided in the valve housing 42 are three on the virtual concentric circle 42h, whereas in the valve body 241 of the third embodiment, the bag ventilation passages 42f are five. It is said to be an individual. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment in the third embodiment, and the same parts are designated by adding "200" to the reference numerals in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted again.

Assuming that the predetermined time T of the delay circuit 53 in the third embodiment is the same as the predetermined time T in the first embodiment, the number of channels is changed from "3" to "5" in the third embodiment with respect to the first embodiment. With the increase, the rotation speed Y of the rotary valve 20 becomes 5/3 times that of the first embodiment, and the angle X of the air supply chamber 41a becomes 3/5 times.

<Effects of the second and third embodiments>
In the second and third embodiments, the time during which the valve bodies 141 and 241 of the rotary valve 20 make one rotation is increased in proportion to the number of channels (the number of air passages 42f for bags). Therefore, regardless of the number of channels, even if the predetermined time T by the delay circuit 53 is set to a fixed time, it is longer than the time for the operating rotary valve 20 to switch from the state of supplying air to one of the bladder 63 to the state of exhausting. be able to. In the case of the second and third embodiments, the rotation speed of the motor 30 of the rotary valve 20 can be easily adjusted by the motor with rotation speed control, and the predetermined time T of the delay circuit 53, which is an analog circuit, is adjusted in comparison with the adjustment. Since it is not easy to adjust the capacity of the capacitor, the timing at which the operating rotary valve 20 switches from the state of supplying air to one of the bladder 63 to the state of exhausting after stopping the pump 10 depends on the number of channels. Can be easily adjusted.

Further, in the second and third embodiments, the time for one rotation of the valve bodies 141 and 241 of the rotary valve 20 is set to the time proportional to the number of channels, and the rotation speed of the valve bodies 141 and 241 is slowed down according to the number of channels. Will be done. Therefore, the rotation angle range of the air supply chambers 141a and 241a of the valve bodies 141 and 241 is reduced and the rotation angle range of the exhaust chambers 141b and 241b is increased according to the number of channels. Therefore, as the number of channels increases, the rotation angle range of the exhaust chambers 141b and 241b becomes larger, and as the number of channels increases, the portion where the bag ventilation passage 42f is formed on the valve housing 42 facing the exhaust chambers 141b and 241b. The area is also increased, and the formation of the bag ventilation channel 42f can be facilitated.

<Other Embodiments>
Although the specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to their appearance and configuration, and various changes, additions, and deletions can be made. For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a bladder air supply / exhaust device for a massage device, but it may be applied to an air bag air supply / exhaust device used as an actuator for other purposes such as a lumbar support for a vehicle seat. Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an automobile massage device, but it may be applied to a massage-dedicated sheet.

1 Automotive seats (seating seats, seats)
2 Seat back 3 Seat cushion 4 Massage device 10 Pump 11 Motor 20 Rotary valve (distributor)
30 Motor 31 Motor assembly 32 Output shaft 40, 140, 240 Valve 41, 141, 241 Valve body 41a, 141a, 241a Air supply chamber 41b, 141b, 241b Exhaust chamber 41c Groove 41d, 141d, 241d O-ring 41e Rotating shaft 42 valve Housing 42a, 42b Pipe 42c, 42d Tip 42e Pump vent 42f Bag vent 42g Recess 42h Virtual concentric circle 51 Ignition switch (power switch)
52 Massage switch 53 Delay circuit 54 Pump circuit 55 Valve circuit 61 Board 62 Piping 63 Bladder (air bag)

Claims (4)

It is an air bag air supply / exhaust device that distributes the air pressure from the pump to multiple air bags by a distributor to supply and exhaust air.
The distributor has a configuration in which air pressure from the pump is sequentially supplied to each of the air bags, and atmospheric pressure is supplied to the air bags that have finished supplying air to exhaust the air.
Control to operate the pump and the distributor together during the supply / exhaust operation of the air bag, stop the operation of the pump when the supply / exhaust operation of the air bag is stopped, and stop the distributor after a predetermined time. Equipped with a circuit
The predetermined time is set longer than the time during which the operating distributor switches from the state of supplying air to one of the air bags to the state of exhausting air.
The pump is configured to be driven by a motor.
The distributor is configured to include a rotary valve operated by a motor.
The control circuit
A pump circuit in which the motor of the pump is connected to the power supply via a series circuit of the power switch and the drive switch of the pump.
The rotary valve motor comprises a delay circuit connected in series, and the series circuit includes a valve circuit connected in parallel to the pump motor in the pump circuit.
The delay circuit is an air bag air supply / exhaust device having a configuration in which an output current is generated without delay when the input current supply is started, and the output current is stopped with a predetermined time delay when the input current supply is stopped. In claim 1 ,
The rotary valve is
A valve housing having a number of bag vents corresponding to the number of the air bags to which the air pressure from the pump is distributed.
It is provided with a valve body which is rotationally driven by the motor of the rotary valve, rotates relative to the valve housing, and sequentially distributes the air pressure from the pump to each of the ventilation passages once for each rotation.
The rotary valve motor is configured so that the rotation speed can be changed so that the time required for one rotation of the valve body is proportional to the number of the bag ventilation passages.
An air bag air supply / exhaust device in which a predetermined time of the delay circuit is a fixed time regardless of the number of ventilation passages. In claim 2 ,
In the valve housing, the air passages for each bag communicated with the plurality of air bags are arranged at equal intervals along one virtual circumference, and the air passages for the pump communicated with the pump are arranged at the center of the circle. Consists of arranging
The valve body is configured to rotate around the pump ventilation path so as to face the bag ventilation passage and the pump ventilation passage of the valve housing, and the pump ventilation passage has a structure. An air supply chamber that is always in communication and communicates with at most one of the air supply passages for each bag according to the rotation angle, and a ventilation passage for the bag that communicates with the air supply chamber according to the rotation angle. It has an exhaust chamber that is open to the atmosphere and communicates with all the air passages for bags except for.
The rotation angle range occupied by the air supply chamber in the total rotation angle range of the valve body is reduced as the number of air passages for the bag increases. In any of claims 1 to 3 ,
The air bag is provided on the seat for seating, and is supposed to be sequentially supplied and exhausted to massage the seated person.
The distributor is a rotary valve that sequentially supplies and exhausts air to and from each of the air bags.
An air bag air supply / exhaust device in which the predetermined time is set longer than the time for supplying air to one of the air bags via the operating rotary valve.

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