JPH03186215A - Air supply device for air mat - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the fault of an air pump, etc., caused by the temperature rise of exhaust air, and also, the reduce noise by providing at least one of a bulkhead for partitioning the air pump and a switching valve or a bulkhead for partitioning the switching valve and an electrical equipment, on a casing. CONSTITUTION:An air mat consisting of plural air sealing chambers divided into plural systems is provided with an air pump 16 for supplying compressed air, a switching valve 18 for feeding and exhausting compressed air from the air pump 16 and the air sealing chamber at every system, an electrical equipment 21 for operating each of the pump 16 and the valve 18, and a casing for surrounding and containing the pump 16, the valve 18 and the electrical equipment 21. Also, at least one of a bulkhead 30 for partitioning the pump 16 and the valve 18 or a bulkhead 31 for partitioning the valve 18 and the electrical equipment 21 is provided on a casing 15. As a result, a fault of the air pump, etc., caused by the temperature rise of exhaust air can be prevented, and also, noise related to an operation of the pump 16 and the valve 18, etc., can be suppressed low.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an air supply device for supplying air to an air mat used as bedding for a good night's sleep, bedding for preventing bedsores, or the like.

<Prior art> Air mats are used as bedding to prevent pressure sores and for a good night's sleep. Air is contained in the air mat, which is made up of multiple air-filled chambers, and the weight of the person lying on the mat is reduced by the pressure of the air. It is something that supports. Air mats have the characteristic of distributing and absorbing the load of the person lying on their side, and because high support pressure is not applied to specific parts of the person lying on their side, they have effects such as preventing pressure sores and improving sleep.

This air chamber is divided into a plurality of systems, and by alternately supplying and discharging compressed air to each system, the air chamber that directly supports the recumbent person is changed. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of this type of air mat.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air mat 11 of this example has:
A cylindrical air chamber 13 that is long in the left and right direction of the recumbent person 12
m and 13b are arranged alternately in the vertical direction of the recumbent person 12. Air enclosure chamber 13a.

The air tubes 13b are divided into a hatched system A and a non-shaded system B, and air tubes 14a and 14b are installed in the air chambers 13a and 13b of the respective systems, respectively. are arranged in communication.

By alternately supplying and discharging compressed air to each system through these air tubes 14a and 14b, each air chamber 13a and 13b expands and contracts in a time period (for example, a 5-minute period). repeated. FIG. 3 shows that air is supplied to the air enclosure chamber 13b belonging to system B and it expands, while the air enclosure chamber 13b of system A
3a represents a contracted state. In this state, the air enclosure chamber 13b of the system B mainly supports the recumbent person 12.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows, on the contrary, the air enclosure chamber 13b of system B.
is contracted and the air chamber 13a of system A is expanded, and in this state, the air chamber 13a of system A mainly supports the recumbent person 12.

In this way, with this air mat 11, the part that supports the recumbent person 12 changes periodically even if the recumbent person 12 does not move, so that, for example, bedsores caused by poor blood circulation due to long-term pressure on the recumbent person 12 can be effectively prevented. It also has effects such as improving sleep.

Incidentally, FIG. 5 t is a graph showing an example of a change over time in the air pressure supplied to each of the air chambers 13a and 13b of the system A and the system B.

By the way, conventionally, the air enclosure chambers 13a and 13b are
A supply device for supplying compressed air to each of the systems A and B was, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, an air pump 16 is provided inside the casing 15 having a substantially sealed structure, and the compressed air discharged from the air pump 16 is passed through a connecting pipe 17 to a switching valve 18.
sent to.

Two pipe lines 19a and 19 are provided on the outlet side of the switching valve 18.
b is provided protrudingly, and these officials 1@19a, 19b are
They are connected to the air tubes 14a and 14b described above, respectively. The switching valve 18 is actuated by an electrical and mechanical mechanism (not shown) to connect the pipe $ to the connection VT17.
Either one of the pipes 19a or W approximately 19b is communicated, and the other of the pipes 19a and 19b is communicated with the discharge IW:20. As a result, the compressed air is fed to one of the air enclosure chambers 13a, 13b, and is discharged from the other of the air enclosure chambers 13a, 13b to the switching valve 18 side, and further,
It is discharged into the casing 15 from the discharge pipe 20 of the switching valve 18. In this way, it is possible to realize, for example, changes over time in the air pressure of each system A and B as shown in FIG.

Further, inside the casing 15, electrical components 21 including a printed circuit board, a fuse, etc., which are connected to the air pump 16, the switching valve 18, etc., are provided. Further, as part of this electrical component 21, for example, a pilot lamp 22 and a switch 23 are provided so as to penetrate through the casing 15.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the conventional air supply device as shown in FIG. 6, the suction port 24 of the air pump 16 and the discharge port 20 of the switching valve 18 are located inside the casing 15. The main purpose of this configuration is to cover the suction port 24 and the discharge port 20 with the casing 15 to substantially seal them, thereby shielding noise generated from these parts as much as possible. However, at the same time, the following problems occur.

That is, by operating the switching valve 18, the air filling chamber 1
Part of the air discharged from either one of the systems 3a and 13b is discharged to the outside through the installation gap 25 of the pilot lamp 22 and switch 23, but the rest is discharged into the casing 15. Then, the air is sucked in again through the suction port 24 of the air pump 16 and sent into the air chambers 13a and 13b.

In this way, the air to be supplied to the air chambers 13a, 13b circulates through the substantially sealed interior region of the casing 15.

Accordingly, the circulating air is transferred to the air pump 16.
As a result of the pressurization process, etc., heat gradually accumulates and rises, eventually impairing the functions of the air pump 16 and electrical components 21, and increasing the temperature of the air chambers 13a and 13b, making it difficult to sleep in some areas. There was a problem that it could cause

Means for Solving the Problems> The air supply device for an air mat according to the present invention includes an air pump that supplies compressed air to an air mat that is composed of a plurality of air chambers divided into a plurality of systems, a cough air pump, and a cough air pump. A switching valve that supplies and discharges compressed air from the air enclosure chamber to each of the systems, electrical equipment that operates each of the air pump and the switching valve, and surrounding and housing these air pumps, switching valves, and electrical equipment. and a casing, at least one of the partition walls separating the air pump and the switching valve or the partition wall partitioning the switching valve and the electrical equipment is provided in the casing. It is characterized by:

Function> Compressed air from the air pump reaches the switching valve,
The switching valve forces the compressed air into the air chamber of one system, and exhausts the compressed air from the air chamber of the other system, causing the air chamber to expand and contract at time intervals for each system.

Here, since the casing of this air supply device is provided with at least one of the partition wall that partitions the air pump and the switching valve or the partition wall that partitions the switching valve and electrical components, the air discharged from the switching valve is This prevents the air from being sucked into the air pump again, and also blocks the noise associated with the operation of the air pump, switching valve, etc.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the air supply device for an air mat according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same members as those in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and 1! Repeated explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, which is a schematic cross-sectional view of this embodiment, two partition walls 30.3 are provided in the flat box-shaped casing 15.
1 is provided to partition the interior of the casing 15 into three chambers. An air pump 16 is provided in a pump chamber 32, which is a chamber on the left end side in the figure of the casing 15. The casing 15 forming the pump chamber 33 includes an intake pipe 3.
3 is provided through the pump chamber 32, and intake air accompanying the operation of the air pump 16 is introduced into the pump chamber 32 through the intake tube 33.

A switching valve 18 is provided in a valve chamber 34 which is an adjacent chamber on the right side of the pump chamber 32 in the figure. Switching valve 18
A pipe 36 is attached to the inlet passage 35 of the vibrator 36, and a connecting pipe 17 is connected to the vibe 36. Concatenation 'II'17
is connected to the air pump 16 through a hole 37 in the partition wall 31 in an airtight manner, and during operation, compressed air is constantly supplied from the air pump 16 to the inlet passage 35 through the connecting pipe 17.

A branch path 38 is formed at the entrance $35, and the branch! A relief valve 39 is provided at 338 . The relief valve 39 includes a truncated conical valve body 40 and a spring 4 that biases the valve body 40.
1 and an adjustment screw 42 for adjusting the biasing force of the spring 41.By operating the end 43 of the adjustment screw 42 protruding outside the casing 15, the relief pressure can be adjusted to l1.
m is now possible. This adjustment is performed so that the optimum air pressure is supplied according to, for example, the body weight of the person lying on the bed. Further, an O-ring 4 is provided between the through hole of the casing 15 through which the adjusting screw 42 passes and the adjusting screw 42.
4 is interposed to maintain airtightness.

The compressed air thus introduced into the switching valve 18 through the inlet passage 11535 is transferred to the pipes 19a, 1 at time intervals by a mechanical or electrical mechanism (not shown).
The compressed air is alternately supplied to either one of the pipes 19a and 9b, and is discharged from the discharge pipe 20 through the remaining pipes 19a and 19b. As a result, as described in the related art, each of the air chambers 13a and 13b of the air mat 11 repeatedly expands and contracts at time intervals for each system A and B.

However, in this example, the air pump 16 and the switching valve 1
8 are separated from each other by a gap H130, so that the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust pipe 20 of the switching valve 18 does not reach the pump chamber 32. In other words, the air pump 16 always takes in fresh outside air from the intake air 933 to air the air mat 1.
1, the pressurized and mixed exhaust air is circulated repeatedly as in the past, significantly increasing the temperature of the supplied air and damaging the functions of the air pump 16, switching valve 18, etc. There will be no more complaining. Furthermore, the presence of the partition wall 30 also allows the air pump 16 and the switching valve 1 to
Since the operating sounds of the parts 8 and 8 can be shielded from each other, the noise transmitted to the outside is also reduced.

An electrical equipment chamber 45 is formed on the right side of the pump chamber 34 described above in the figure with a partition wall 31 interposed therebetween. Inside the IHI chamber 4 and the interior 5, electrical components 21 including a printed circuit board, a fuse, etc., which are connected to the air pump 16, the switching valve 18, etc., are provided. In this way, the partition wall 31 that partitions the switching valve 18 and the electrical component 21 reduces the leakage of operating noise related to the switching valve 18 to the outside.

Also, electrical equipment! A through hole 46 is bored in the upper part of the casing 15 in the figure, and a muffling tube 47 is inserted into each of these through holes 46. Each of these muffling pipes 47 is equipped with a pilot lamp 22 and a switch 2 as part of the electrical components 21 described above.
3 is attached with a certain mounting gap 12148. Furthermore, the r4i1 wall 31 that partitions the valve chamber 34 and the electrical equipment room 45 is provided with a through hole 49 that communicates the two chambers 34 and 45, and a muffler pipe 50 is inserted into the through hole 49. has been done.

Therefore, the exhaust gas discharged into the valve chamber 34 from the exhaust pipe 20 of the t-co switching valve 18 described above flows into the electrical equipment room 45 via the muffler pipe 50. At this time, the noise generated by the operation of the switching valve 18 and the like is attenuated and reduced while propagating inside the muffler pipe 50.

Furthermore, the exhaust gas that has flowed into the electrical equipment room 45 is
The noise is emitted to the outside through the mounting gap 48 between the muffler w47 protruding inside and the pilot lamp 22 and switch 23 inserted into the muffler pipe 47. At this time, the noise generated inside the casing 15 and reaching the inside of the electrical equipment room 45 is attenuated and reduced while propagating inside these mufflers 47.

Thus, in this example, the air pump 16 and the switching valve 18
Since the air pump 16 and the electrical equipment 21 are separated by partition walls 30 and 31, the operating noise of the air pump 16 and the switching valve 18 can be more effectively shielded. Furthermore, the exhaust gas discharged from the switching valve 18 is first throttled by the muffling pipe 50 of the bulkhead 31 before being discharged to the outside through the gap 48 between the lamps in the electrical compartment 45 and then into the electrical compartment 45. Therefore, the noise emitted due to the rapid expansion of the exhaust gas can be significantly reduced.

By the way, in this embodiment, the entire switching valve 18 is partitioned into 4 sections from the air pump 16 and the electrical components 21 by two partition walls 30 and 31, thereby preventing the supply air from rising in temperature and insulating it from sound. However, it is of course possible to form only one of these partition walls 30 and 31.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the near-mat air supply device w of the present invention, a partition wall or a switching valve that partitions the air pump and the switching valve is provided in the casing that surrounds and houses the air pump, the switching valve, and the electrical components. Since at least one of the partition walls separating the valve from the electrical equipment is provided, the exhaust gas discharged from the switching valve is not sucked into the air pump again, which prevents failure of the air pump, etc. due to temperature rise of the exhaust gas. At the same time, the noise associated with the operation of air pumps, switching valves, etc. can be kept extremely low.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air mat, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the air mat, and FIG. A graph showing changes in air pressure in the system, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional air supply device. In the drawing, 11 is an air mat, 13a and 13b are air-filled fi, 14a and 14b are air tubes, 15 is a casing, 16 is an air pump, 18 is a switching valve, 1
9 a, 19 b are pipes, 20 is a discharge pipe, 21 is electrical equipment, 30, 31 are partition walls, 32 is a pump chamber, 33 is an intake hole, 34 is a valve chamber, 39 is a relief valve, 45 is an electrical equipment room , 46 are through holes.

Claims (1)

[Claims] an air pump that supplies compressed air to an air mat consisting of a plurality of air chambers divided into a plurality of systems; a switching valve that supplies and discharges compressed air from the air pump and the air chamber for each system; An air supply device for an air mat comprising electrical components that operate each of the air pump and the switching valve, and a casing that surrounds and houses the air pump, the switching valve, and the electrical components, the air pump and the switching valve. An air supply device for an air mat, characterized in that the casing is provided with at least one of a partition wall that partitions the switching valve and the electrical component.